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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27408433">Blood in the Water</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mertensiana/pseuds/Mertensiana'>Mertensiana</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anbu Haruno Sakura, Anbu Hatake Kakashi, Attempted Sexual Assault, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Blood and Violence, Brat, Dom/sub, F/M, Haruno Sakura-centric, Miscarriage, Power Play, Rough Sex, Sakura is a brat, Sasuke Died, Semi-Public Sex, Stabbing, Torture</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:02:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>74,305</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27408433</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mertensiana/pseuds/Mertensiana</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sasuke and Sarada died and Sakura is in a dark place. She decides to join ANBU and Kakashi goes back just to protect her. But it's been a while since he's been with her in the field, she's not the same ninja he remembered. I wanted to write something really dark, violent, and sad. There are some fluffier moments but it's mostly about Sakura dealing with trauma with Kakashi's help but he also deals with some of his own.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>189</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>246</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>TW this chapter: Miscarriage, death, graphic blood</p><p>Me: I'm writing like ten pages a week for school and have two stories to finish, I shouldn't start a new story</p><p>Also me: Stays up all night and writes the first 35,000 words of a new story</p><p>This will update on the slow side probably but idk. The election and some bad news in my personal life made me angsty so here you guys go!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>No one was the same after the war, despite the weddings, children, and time together where they didn’t have to think about invasions, the Akatsuki or if their friends would be dead the next day; there was no denying the toll it took. But everyone thought it was over, that the death would stop, until the day Sakura announced her pregnancy. What should have been a happy day was tainted as it was also the day she woke up to find her husband had passed in his sleep. It was the same disease that took his brother, but there was no knowing that it was genetic until it was too late. Besides, Sasuke was healthy for all intent and purposes until he wasn’t. Despite Tsunade taking the disease head-on as her personal project after her retirement, there was little that could be done. </p><p>Her pregnancy was plagued with depression, but of course, it was. No one could blame her. The village rallied behind her, but there was a slight problem, all her friends were either pregnant or had just given birth. They were there as much as possible, but they had their limits. She was staying with Naruto and Hinata but sometimes being around the couple just depressed her more. Luckily, there was the village’s eternal bachelor whose office she invited herself to loiter around when she needed a change of scenery. It was one of the few places where it felt safe to smile. </p><p>Finally, the day had come. It was 4 am in the morning. Waiting was Naruto, Kakashi, Yamato, Kiba, Shino, Lee, TenTen, Shikamaru, and Temari. Ino wanted to be there, but her morning sickness got the better of her; additionally, Sakura’s mother had a fever the day before, so they decided to wait to meet her grandchild so she wouldn’t get her sick. Naruto’s son had been born only days earlier, and he was excited for the arrival of his two closest friend’s child. He just wished Sasuke was here for it. Shizune walked out. She was an experienced and hardened medical ninja, so the look on her face was especially troubling, “Naruto, Kakashi, come with me.”</p><p>There was no joy in her voice. Kakashi and Kiba exchanged glances. Being hound ninja users, they had a heightened sense of smell and immediately recognized the scent coming off her. Blood. A lot of it too. “Is it done?” Naruto asked hopefully, not reading the tone of the room. </p><p>Shizune looked like she was about to cry at Naruto’s question, “Come on,” Kakashi grabbed his former student by the collar. He escorted him into the operating room where the delivery took place, leaving the rest of the group. As soon as they entered, Kakashi just wanted to leave. The air was metallic; the only other time he had experienced a space that smelled like this was after mass murders. To the side, he could see hospital gowns that were drenched and Tsunade comforting Sakura, blood running down the front of her. It must have soaked through the gown onto her clothes. Then there was Sakura, she had always been pale, but she was white, like a ghost. The only hint of color was the dark circles under her eyes. This girl had gone to hell and back. </p><p>Tsunade looked up to the two men who were putting together what had transpired, Kakashi faster than Naruto. “Sakura, I’m going to change, but I’ll be right back, okay?” she stroked Sakura’s hair, but Sakura didn’t react. She was holding something, focusing on it intensely. Tsunade walked up to them, “Sarada didn’t make it.” Sarada, that was the name she had decided on. “I’ll be right back. Kakashi, I need you to stick around, Sakura needs a transfusion, and you have the same blood type.”</p><p>“Yeah,” it was hard to focus on what Tsunade was saying. Here was his former student, a strong and capable ninja who had already gone through so much, now holding her dead child. And he was powerless to do anything. As Shizune and Tsunade left the room, taking the discarded bloody clothes with them, the two cautiously walked up. Kakashi at a loss of what to say to comfort her. </p><p>Luckily Naruto was better at this than he was, “Sakura, I’m so sorry,” tears started to roll down his face. He put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up, surprisingly not crying, but seeing Naruto’s triggered something. He peered down to see the little one’s face, “She’s beautiful, Sakura.”</p><p>Kakashi had seen both of them often cry in the past, especially Sakura, but they always seemed so trivial. Both of them were quite sensitive. But he knew these tears well. They were the same ones he shed after Obito’s death, after Rin’s. “Kashi,” her voice was strained, unable to push out his full name, “Come see her.”</p><p>Sakura opened up her arms. She looked so peaceful, like the most well-behaved child, sleeping through all the commotion. The little hair she had was the famous Uchiha black. He brushed the back of his finger across the baby’s cheek carefully, worried he would wake her. She was so warm. “Sakura, she’s perfect,” he looked into those big green eyes that seemed to sparkle more with tears in them, “You did a good job.” And for the first time, the two saw their former teacher shed a tear. </p><p>She asked Naruto if she wanted to hold her, but as much as he wanted to support his friend, he couldn’t hold a dead baby when he had a three day old at home. But Kakashi took his place. So tiny and light, there was no reason to be careful, but Kakashi kept hoping that maybe this whole thing was a cruel joke, and any second now, Sarada would open her eyes. But it wasn’t. She never would. “Naruto,” Tsunade walked back into the room, “Why don’t you tell Sakura’s parents what happened? They can visit but only after being fever free for 24 hours. Her body is weak right now. I want to minimize contact.” Tsunade wanted the girl’s parents to know but she could also see how hard it was for the new father. </p><p>“But…” He looked back at Sakura. </p><p>“It’s okay, Naruto, please let them know, and our friends. I don’t think I can do it,” her hand touched his, her tears still flowing, but slower now. Kakashi could see, even in all the pain she was in, she was trying to protect Naruto’s feelings. </p><p>Naruto leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Sakura’s forehead, “Okay, I’ll come by later.” He walked out, stopping for a second at Kakashi, still holding the small child. It looked like he would give holding her another chance, but he continued into the waiting room. </p><p>“Sakura,” Tsunade sat on the bed next to her, “Shizune is going to take Sarada now. It’s time to say goodbye.” Kakashi was about to hand the child back, but Sakura shook her head, recoiling back. If his heart wasn’t broken already, it certainly was now. “Okay,” Tsunade said softly, looking to Shizune, who took Sarada from him. </p><p>But before he handed her over, Kakashi pressed a kiss, similar to the one Naruto had given Sakura to the girl. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered to her. Finally, she left his arms, and he felt empty.</p><p>Tsunade got up and started preparing the transfusion equipment, “Come sit next to me, Kakashi.” Kakashi sat where Tsunade had just moments ago. His instincts told him to ask if she was okay, but obviously, she wasn’t. “Do you think she would have grown up strong?”</p><p>He took her hand, very carefully as she seemed to be made of glass at the moment, “With you as a mother, I have no doubt. She’s a lucky little girl.”</p><p>“Thank you,” she rested her head against his chest, “what do I do now?” </p><p>That was a question he had once asked after he lost everyone he loved. “You live,” he pulled her closer, “Naruto and I will help you.” </p><p>“But what if I don’t want to?” There was no hesitance in her question. It was as honest as a person could get. </p><p>It was another question a younger him once had, “You do it anyways. Everyone in this room loves you, everyone out those doors love you, this village loves you. I want you to live because you want to, but if it gets hard you think of us okay?” he could feel a small nod against him. “And then you call me immediately. You understand?” There was no nod, “Sakura,” he looked down, and she looked up, “Do you understand?”</p><p>“I do, and I will,” she curled back up. </p><p>Tsunade came over and had Kakashi get up and sit on a chair, blood pumping from him into bags, and both of them watched Sakura sleep. “She can’t be on her right now,” her last comments worried him. </p><p>“I agree. She’s going to have to stay here the next week for observations, but after that, I’ll send her to her parents.” She was promised in Lighting country in two weeks, or she would have taken Sakura in on her own, but she and Shizune needed to make it there. Luckily they could observe her first and make sure she was stable before leaving. </p><p>“She’s staying with Naruto and Hinata right now. I’m sure she could continue staying there,” As Hokage, he could pull Naruto off missions, at least for a little bit. </p><p>Tsunade shook her head, “Happy young couple with a newborn baby? We have to think about her mental health as well. I think her parents would be better.</p><p>It was a good point. Not one he would have considered, “I’ll send some people to help move her stuff. Is she going to be okay?” </p><p>“Physically yes, medics are naturally fast healers, so I suspect within a month she’ll be recovered enough to start training again if she wants to but mentally…” she bit her bottom lip, “I don’t know. She’s gone through a lot in a year. It’s hard to come back from that. But she’s strong-willed, I do have faith, but she’ll need a lot of help and support.”</p><p>She was talking about him. Specifically, Tsunade knew that if anyone in this village understood what it meant to lose everything, it was him. There had been several times since she was twelve that Kakashi had realized Sakura was getting older. The first was when she saved Kankuro from being poisoned, and the latest was when he had gotten a very enthused phone call from Naruto only a few hours ago telling him to get to the hospital. In every sense, she was a woman, one who had loved and lost, who knew pain and the cruelty of this world. Despite the war, he had hoped that with his students living through it, falling in love, and having kids, they might be spared, able to move on with their lives in a way he had failed to. But now, unfortunately, he and Sakura were kindred spirits. </p><p>The move to her parent's house was fine. There was no shortage of visitors, but at least one night a week, she’d disappear, telling her parents she was sleeping at Ino’s, but she’d stay the night in Kakashi’s guest room. Her parents doting on her and friends lining up to spend time with her was nice, and everyone was doing it because they cared, but her nights at Kakashi’s was the one time she felt like she could breathe. Sometimes they’d reminisce about the old days, sometimes she would just cry while he made them dinner, and after talking about how unfair life was and sometimes they wouldn’t talk at all, she’d just lock herself in the room. He wasn’t a huge fan of those nights, but she would let one of his dogs in so at least he would know that she was okay. This continued for a year. Eventually, though, Sakura had decided to move out and be on her own. This scared her parents, but Ino, Naruto, and Kakashi all took turns having dinner at her place. It was rare that she was cooking for just herself. On what would have been Sarada’s first birthday, Sakura insisted Kakashi come over. Usually, he would invite himself over. They all would, so he was worried about her intentions. </p><p>At dinner, Sakura took a sip of wine, her eyes intense and hollowed, “In six months, put me back on missions.”</p><p>“Sakura, you’ve done enough for the village. You don’t have to,” he knew this day would come eventually because if he knew one cure for a shinobi’s depression, it was a dangerous mission, but he hoped he was wrong. </p><p>“So have you, but what’s the likelihood you’re going to retire after being Hokage?” She challenged. It was very apparent to Kakashi that she wasn’t asking. She was telling him what was happening. </p><p>Kakashi sighed; he probably wouldn’t, not entirely anyway. “Alright, but you’ve been off the roster, your first six months only B ranked missions, deal?” Sakura nodded, going back to eating her food. “Tomorrow morning, at 5 am on training ground 4, you and I are going to train. Don’t be late because I have to be in the office by 6.”</p><p>Sakura looked up from her plate, a smirk on her face, “I won’t be if you aren’t.” Once upon a time, he was lost and depressed, so his sensei put him in the ANBU. He wasn’t sure if ANBU was the right move here, but he hoped that Minato’s guidance would help through whatever was happening here with her. Missions were better than therapy to Shinobi after all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>For real now it'll be a slower update. I just felt bad leaving you guys hanging on a miscarriage, ya know?</p><p>TW: kind of a weird sex scene at the end???</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ino had gotten pregnant before marrying Sai, her mother wasn’t stoked, but no one else cared. Everyone knew Sai was absolutely devoted to her. The proposal was sweet in theory. The first time she held Inojin after the delivery, he went down on one knee. Of course, she accepted but was annoyed he did it when she wasn’t wearing any makeup. However, Ino wanted to put off the wedding until she got her body back because she had a dream dress. Of course, she did. No surprise, Sakura was her maid of honor, and Naruto was Sai’s best man. The wedding was elaborate. Everything decked out in every new and classic trend. The flowers were gorgeous; all picked out by Ino very carefully. </p><p>Sakura was a little worried because Ino kept joking about how ugly the bridesmaid dress would be, but surprisingly it was quite beautiful when she opened the dress bag. It was a long pale green dress with a slit down the side, a lacy top, and an open back. Sexier than what she went for but considering Ino was wearing a crop top dress and Sai somehow found a cropped suit, it was on theme. </p><p>The wedding was quite beautiful. Even Kakashi had to admit, Ino could throw a good party. He was also thankful that they didn’t have their wedding when everyone else did. At one point, he went to three weddings in the span of two months, a personal hell. At first, he thought he could get away with just team 7’s weddings, and luckily two of them were marrying each other. But between Yamato, Kurenai, and Guy, he often fell victim to guilt-tripping. Yamato and Kurenai teamed up with this one.</p><p>“Kakashi Asuma would want you to go in his place.”</p><p>“Sai’s come far. You should support him.”</p><p>At least he could get out of doing work for a few hours. Sai walked down the aisle first. The cropped suit was a nice touch, weird but very him. Then came his former students, arms linked. Naruto was wearing a standard suit, but apparently, Sai offered a similar one to him. Sakura, though, was gorgeous. It wasn’t like he was so clouded by being her teacher when she was twelve that he didn’t notice how beautiful she had grown to be. More than once, when he went to a bar, he could overhear a group of young ninjas talk about how hot the medical ninja was when she did demonstrations. But that dress and hair, much longer than it was yesterday when he saw her, was done up with white flowers braided into it. If he hadn’t known her so well already, he might be nervous to talk to her. </p><p>Then came Mirai, who was the flower girl. It was pretty cute as she very delicately placed each flower on the ground, taking so long that Kurenai had to step in and help her along. Finally was Ino, holding Inojin in one arm and her other linked to her mother. From what he understood, Inojin was a pretty quiet and well-behaved kid, but Kakashi suspected he’d have a mouth on him as soon as he could talk. The ceremony was quick. This was probably Kakashi’s favorite of all the weddings. Besides Sakura’s, fifteen people, married by Tsunade in a ten-minute ceremony, then they all went to a bar. Part of him was actually intrigued by how over the top the reception would be. He was not disappointed. It was much much on the party side than a celebration of love. Or maybe that’s just their way of celebrating love, who knew, certainly not him. There was food guests could help themselves to, all super good and all the free alcohol anyone could want. As much as he loved Naruto, him having a dry wedding was very disappointing. </p><p>“Hey, how’s Sakura doing?” Yamato sat down next to him. She was at the head table, talking to Kiba and obviously bored with the conversation. Yamato had been away for a few months on a mission. He was the go-to choice for things like that. </p><p>Kakashi shrugged, “I mean, I’m putting her back in the field in a few months. Genma’s going with her for her first one back, and it’ll be an easy one, so we’ll see how it goes. She’s depressed, but maybe getting back to fieldwork will help, I don’t know.”</p><p>“Yeah, I mean it’s hard to recover from what she went through,” he looked back at the table, now she was darting eyes at the two men while they watched Kiba’s body language get cockier. No doubt about it, he was flirting. “Should we save her?”</p><p>After letting out a groan, Kakashi stood up, “You distract Kiba.” Her former captains were quite protective of her and Naruto. However, the tables had turned. Sakura used to be the easy one. They almost didn’t have time to worry about her with Naruto figuring out the nine tails. Now he was happily married with a kid, another one on the way. It was Sakura’s turn to be the problem child.</p><p>“Kiba,” Yamato grabbed his shoulder, “help me with something.”</p><p>“I’m kind of busy,” he gestured at Sakura, so Yamato countered with his demon face. “Uhh right,” he started following Yamato, “I’ll catch up with you later, Sakura,” he waved a little nervous. </p><p>Behind her was Kakashi, “Hey,” he held out his hand, “your moping is depressing, come dance with me.” While she appreciated the save him asking her to dance was surprising, she wasn’t sure if she ever saw him dance. But she took it and let him lead her to the floor. The song changed as soon as he grabbed her waist, becoming a slower love song. Around them, they saw all the couples, including the newlyweds, fill the floor around him, “We don’t have to dance to this.” He offered while taking her hand. </p><p>“No, it’s okay. I’d rather dance to this song with you than one of the guys who’ve been hitting on me,” she looks down, “You look nice, you know,” she smiled.</p><p>“Thanks, I just hope this is the last wedding. This thing is uncomfortable.” Behind Sakura, he could see Kiba with his arms crossed rolling his eyes. Kakashi just raised his brows at him before focusing back on his partner, “You look good too. That green is beautiful on you, although I feel inclined to tell you the slit is a little high.” He teased. </p><p>Sakura squeezed his hand with his chakra infused in it, and he winced, “Ino picked it out. But thank you. I like it too.”</p><p>“How did your hair get so long?” he inspected it closer, “did you use chakra like Jiraya used to?”</p><p>It was a serious question. He wasn’t sure why she was laughing, “They’re called extensions, no chakra required.” There was no reason for him to know what extensions were, but still, he was a bit embarrassed, “Hey,” she rested her head against his shoulder, “Thanks for putting me back on missions.”</p><p>He didn’t expect the display of affection, but it was okay. They had literally carried each other multiple times. “Yeah, of course, you’re an excellent shinobi. Why wouldn’t I?”</p><p>“Because everyone in this damn village treats me like I’m made of glass,” she was cold and matter of fact about it. She wasn’t wrong. </p><p>He and Naruto rarely interacted with Ino before Sasuke’s death, and now they had regular check-ins to make sure Sakura wasn’t alone. They all knew she would kill them if she ever found out about their conspiracy, but they couldn’t just let her go through this alone. “Well, prove everyone wrong,” the hand on her waist moved to her back, “or don’t. You’re not made of glass. I’ve seen you impaled before. You’re a lot more durable than you look.” He smirked, “And I’m sorry if I was one of those people.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” she sighed. “It doesn't bother me as much when it’s you and Naruto, and besides, you are putting me back on missions. Just stay away from my mother,” she lifted her head, revealing a small smile, “She told me she was going to murder you for letting me go.”</p><p>“Great,” he rolled his eyes. When Sakura was younger, he was always arguing with her mother about missions and training. Once, she told him Sakura couldn’t get too muscular because it’s not cute. Parents were challenging, but non-ninja parents were something else. The rest of the dance was silent but comfortably so. It was a nice little break from being social for both of them, who were only here out of obligation. </p><p>The song ended, and they looked at each other, silently negotiating if she should stay for another one. But Sakura felt a tug at the bottom of her dress, “Inojin?” She bent down and picked him up.</p><p>Behind him, she could see Ino take a picture of the two together, “Aunty Sakura! I want to dance!” he raised his hands.</p><p>Both of them laughed. It was quite cute, “Take good care of her little man,” he patted Inojin’s head. “Come see me this week. I want an update on your training. I’d also like your advice on which teams to assign some new medics.”</p><p>“Will do,” she smiled at him. </p><p>“Go away, Kashi!” Inojin put his hand out. He looked very serious.</p><p>Both of them just stared at the boy, only two years old, telling the Hokage to go away. “Inojin,” Sakura was mildly horrified, “You be nicer to Kakashi.”</p><p>Inojin just pouted, “It’s okay. Probably been a long day for this one. I’ll get out of your guys’ hair,” he waved and walked back to his seat. Ino came up to him from behind, “Your kid has an attitude problem.”</p><p>“Yeah, but we love him,” Ino sat next to him. Sakura was a natural with children. She swung back and forth, Inojin’s smile taking up most of his face. “How was your dance?”</p><p>Boruto came running up to Sakura, and she picked him up in her other arm and twirled the boys around, “Fine. I guess why?”</p><p>Ino grinned, “no reason,” she sang. </p><p>Some things never changed, “Whatever that tone is, stop it,” he remembered hearing it all the time from her whenever she would talk about Kurenai in front of Asuma. “I was saving her from Kiba. That’s all.”</p><p>“Of course,” her tone not letting up, “You two do look hot together. I think it’s the pink and silver hair, very cool.”</p><p>“Asuma always told me you were a weird one,” Kakashi raised his brow. </p><p>Ino shrugged, “Are you going to tell me she doesn’t look super sexy in that dress? I picked it out, you know.” </p><p>Ah, that was the word. However, Kakashi had avoided thinking it because this was Sakura after all. She was his friend, former student, and widow to his deceased former student. If there was anyone who was off-limits, it was her. But Ino was right. That dress was incredibly sexy. He wondered how her leg would feel if his hand were to trail up that slit and if black lace looked as good against her skin as green. </p><p>“Kakashi?” Ino had caught the Hokage staring a little too long after her question, “I sometimes forget how pervy you are.”</p><p>No, it had just been a while, that’s why he was looking at her like that. He looked over at Ino, “Not pervy, cultured,” he corrected, “Congrats Ino, seriously. I’m going to say goodbye to Sai and head out. I have a meeting early tomorrow.”</p><p>“Not going to say goodbye to Sakura?” She was relentless. </p><p>Boruto and Inojin were standing on the floor. Sakura lowered herself down to their level. It would be an endearing sight to anyone else, but all he could focus on was the fact that he could see more or her upper thigh in that position. “Uh, no. I’m going to see her tomorrow afternoon for a meeting. Besides, I don’t want Inojin to yell at me again.” He needed to get away from all this. He wasn’t sure why he was acting like a horny teenager all of a sudden. </p><p>~~</p><p>“Kakashi,” her waist was smooth, a faint scar from the war where Kayuga impaled her. Black lace was his favorite, and it did look good on her, so good. “Kakashi,” his name sounded so sweet in her moans, hips jerking on him each time, bringing him closer and closer to the edge. </p><p>“Fuck Sakura,” his hands run up her sides, and he squeezed her perfect breasts before pulling her down to him. Her lips tasted like strawberries, it slowed her down, but it was worth it. </p><p>Her tongue moved away from his to his neck, “Does every part of you taste this good Kakashi?” He wasn’t sure when her mouth got so dirty, but he loved it, especially because she wouldn’t stop saying his name. He felt himself get closer every time she did. “Maybe later you could taste me?”</p><p>He wasn’t sure what was stopping him now, she was small, and he was strong. It would be so easy to pick her up by her hips and move her to his face. But she felt so good wrapped around his dick. It was quite the predicament. “I’ll do whatever you want me to,” his hands moved back to her body. He was obsessed with how her skin felt, how pretty her curves were. </p><p>“Do you think Sasuke would hate you if he knew you were fucking his wife?” She whispered. </p><p>“What?” he sat up. The next thing he knew, he was at the gates of the village, seeing Sasuke off with Sakura next to him, “What’s going on?” He looked around. </p><p>“Should we tell him he’s going to die?” Sakura was seventeen, looking into his eyes cold and detached as she watched the love of her life leave. “Or should we keep it a surprise?”</p><p>Finally, Kakashi woke up, gasping and sweating from his, whatever that was. Worst sex dream ever. He was going to have to get Genma to set him up with someone. This was ridiculous. The clock said, 2 am. Great. In twelve hours, he had a meeting with her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Love to hear what you guys think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Biden's president and I'm stoked so here's a chapter to celebrate!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>~~Five years later~~</p><p>This was the last thing Kakashi had to do as Hokage, get all affairs in order with Naruto, then he was free of that shitty, shitty job. “I want Sakura Haruno in ANBU,” Ibikki slammed down her file, “I’ve been trying to get her the past year, but Hatake here wouldn’t approve it.” He glared at the sixth, who refused to acknowledge the dig. </p><p>“And I will too,” Naruto crossed his arms. Ibikki looked pissed.</p><p>Shikamaru sighed, “Look, you two, Sakura’s been through a lot, and I know you guys are close, but she has an impressive record, especially for a medic which the ANBU needs. Instead of dictating what a grown woman wants, why don’t we ask her. I’ll be honest I don’t like the idea of her going out there, but I also don’t like us deciding her future because we’re scared.”</p><p>Despite being the sixth and seventh Hokages Kakashi and Naruto felt like a teacher at the academy was scolding them. He was right. It wasn’t entirely fair what they were doing, “Fine,” Naruto sulked, “I’ll call her in tomorrow, and we’ll ask her.”</p><p>“I want to go back to ANBU,” Kakashi knew she was going to say yes. That’s why he had resisted Ibikki so much. “I’m more than qualified, and I know a lot of members left after the war ended. You need experienced members. Also, Sakura and I work well together. Everyone knows that I want her on my team as my medic.” </p><p>Naruto was the only one who was shocked by this. Shikamaru had called it before they sat down, knowing Ibikki wanted Sakura, and Ibikki just knew how stubborn and obnoxious Kakashi could be. What pissed Ibikki off, though, is he was right, on both accounts, “I’ll think about it.” </p><p>Leaving the meeting, he was supposed to be a relief, but his retirement was now on pause. Kakashi had volunteered to give Sakura her summons since the other three still had things to do that day. “Thought I’d find you here,” if there was one thing Kakashi was thankful for, it was that Sakura still wore red, not as much for missions but whenever she was around the village, red. She was training, her shurikens hitting the center of the target, landing in a perfect triangle, “Impressive.”</p><p>“Thanks,” she stretched out her arms, “What’s up?”</p><p>“Officially done being Hokage, but Naruto wants to see you tomorrow,” He looked closer at the other targets. They all had a perfect triangle of shurikens. </p><p>Sakura picked up some bandages and started to wrap her hands, “Why? Should I be worried?”</p><p>He held his pointer finger in front of his lips, “Secret. But no, it’s good.” Well, to her, it would be. </p><p>“Sounds good,” she finished wrapping her hands and threw him the roll, “spar with me? I heard you just retired, so you don’t have anywhere to be.” She was joking, but oh boy, was she wrong. He ended his retirement as soon as he got it. </p><p>He wanted to go home and take a nap, but he was out of fighting shape, so he might as well start his retraining here. When Sakura and Naruto played the bell game all those years ago, he thought she was strong after training for two years, unnecessarily so. But sixteen-year-old Sakura had nothing on twenty-seven-year-old Sakura, neither did he though. He was still faster. That was the only thing keeping him alive. </p><p>The next morning Naruto, Shikamaru, Ibikki, and Kakashi, in an ANBU uniformed, waited in the Hokage’s office for Sakura to arrive. Ibikki had caved on letting Sakura on Kakashi’s team because he was right. They were a bit of a dream team, so to speak. “Good morning Naruto,” Kakashi noted that usually she wore a red top and shorts, but this time it was more like a dress, she had small black shorts underneath so she could still move how she wanted too, but it was much… sexier. He shook his head, trying to get the thought about his friend out of his head. Shikamaru noticed but stayed quiet. That was going to be a headache later, he knew it, but one thing at a time. “What are you guys…” she turned to Kakashi, “why are you in an ANBU uniform?” </p><p>As predicted, she accepted, very happily. Ibikki stayed to fill out paperwork while Kakashi took her to get her mask and tattoo, “So what animal do you want?” He gave her a piece of paper with available choices.</p><p>“Cat,” she handed it back. He rolled his eyes. Of course, it was a cat, “who else is on our team?” </p><p>“Not sure, Ibikki is figuring it out, but he’s going to send us off on another mission just the two of us, sort of a test since you’re new and it’s been a while for me. You also need a code name, mine’s Bito, helps to pick something easy to say,” they walked down the hall, he was leading her to the tattoo artist that even did his tattoo long ago. </p><p>“Bito, huh?” She had a good guess as to where he got that from. He shrugged, “Okay, what about Aki?”</p><p>“Sure, but why? If you don’t mind me asking.”</p><p>“It’s the opposite of Spring.” She was bitter when she said it.</p><p>What was her issue with Spring? “Oh, I thought you would like Spring, you know, Sakura,” he paused, “Haruno. I remember you dragging Sasuke and Naruto to the blooming ceremony when you guys were kids.”</p><p>“I used to love spring,” she looked at the floor, “Sarada’s birthday would have been in the spring.” Sakura continued walking down the hall, Kakashi falling behind. Her comment stopped him in his tracks. How unbelievably tragic. </p><p>Before Sakura even began her medical training, all of team seven had to get a vaccination before traveling somewhere. It happened every so often. Sasuke sat quietly for it, but Sakura and Naruto tried so hard to get out of it. Luckily Iruka convinced Naruto to do it, but there was still Sakura. She only agreed because Kakashi promised to buy her dessert after holding her hand while the needle pricked her. Now here she was, unmoving and unaffected as a big burly man repeatedly hit her arm with red ink. </p><p>After they headed back to Ibikki’s office, her cat mask was already sitting on his desk. It was patterned with pink and red lines. “Here, leave tomorrow morning, now get out of my office and take your mask,” whenever Kakashi gave her meetings, they’d small talk a little, discuss some of the mission highlights, but this was another world. </p><p>“There’s a bar nearby. It has super-private booths so we can look over the mission details there, maybe over a drink? We got to celebrate your induction.” They had changed into civics after leaving Ibikki’s office.</p><p>“Sure, you’re paying then,” Once they got to the bar, she grabbed the file from him and started reading as he went to the bar. The booths were private, all like a little wood room, several feet apart from each other. But it made sense since they did live in a ninja village. The mission was a steal and destroyed. Intel said ninja tools being developed by a crime organization that could do some real damage. They were to steal one of these weapons for study in the village and destroy the rest and the workshop and everyone working in it. Some destruction sounded great. Usually, a short mission like this wouldn’t need a medic, but there was some concern about if someone got hit with one of these weapons, what kind of wound it would create. </p><p>Kakashi came back, a bottle of cheap sake and two cups. Somehow, the most inexpensive bottle of sake had become a tradition between the two, which was funny, considering how much they both made. “So, what’s the damage?” He sat down next to her, leaning in close as they both looked at the accompanying maps and pictures. Completely unaware of how close they had become, that was until they both looked up, only inches from each other. </p><p>Instead of recoiling, though, Sakura leaned in closer. For a second, Kakashi thought she was trying to kiss him, but she moved past his lips to his ear, “So do I get to see under your mask now? I have to trust you fully, you know.” He hated how much that turned him on. Did she know what she was doing to him? Of course not, it was Sakura, she would never. </p><p>“What do I get in return?” Was he flirting now? His heart started racing, and he wasn’t sure why. </p><p>She lowered her elbow to the table and rested the side of her face on her palm. All Kakashi could think about how easy it was to kiss her right then and there. “Well, I think seeing me shirtless would be a fair trade. What do you think?”</p><p>There was nothing in his mouth, no drink or food, but he was choking on something. After having a small coughing fit, that Sakura thought was funny, he finally responded, “Excuse me?”</p><p>“Kidding!” she stood up, “I have some stuff to do, but I’ll see you tomorrow? 6 am at the gates, right?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Sakura again giggled at the fact he looked like he had just walked into a wall, “See you tomorrow.” Kakashi tried not to watch her walk away because her ass looked perfect in that outfit, and he was already fighting off an erection. What the fuck did he get himself into. </p><p>~~</p><p>The journey would take a day. They would camp, and the next morning stake the place out before attacking the second night. Standard procedure for something like this. They found a spot right outside of town. The base was through the city, right outside the opposite end. This would be a safe place to set up for the night. Luckily it was still light out when they got here. Kakashi was faster, but Sakura certainly had more stamina. Towards the end, he actually felt like he was slowing her down. </p><p>“Kakashi,” Sakura’s head popped up while making the tent.</p><p>“I know,” they both sensed multiple chakra signatures. They ran up next to each other, their backs together both with Kunai in their hands. There were only four guys, but they were all much bigger than the two of them and not bad fighters. Each move separated them further, and further, Kakashi had to fight the urge not to check in on Sakura. She wasn’t a genin or chunin anymore. She could handle two guys. But in the split second that went through his mind, he accidentally left a window open for his attacker on his thigh, “Fuck,” he hissed. He pressed his hand against the would. Luckily it seemed to be superficial, still hurt like a bitch, though. </p><p>Sakura finished her two guys off first, helping Kakashi with the last one, “Little rusty Bito,” she teased, “now take off your pants.” </p><p>This was precisely why medics came on missions, for shit like this. It might be superficial, but it still slowed him down. However, he didn’t want to pull down his pants in front of his medic, who was trying to heal something, which was ridiculous. “I’m good. It’s not bad.”</p><p>But before he could move away, Sakura grabbed the bottom of his vest. “Come on, Bito,” after undoing his belt, she slowly pulled down his pants, which he knew she was doing to cause less pain, but it made the whole situation worse. </p><p>Taking a deep breath, he thought of the least attractive things he could. Naruto eating Ramen, Guy’s haircut, Danzo in general. It didn’t work, though. He winced once he realized, “sorry,” at least he was wearing boxers. </p><p>But she just shrugged, “When you work out, your blood vessels closed, but once you relax, they open back up. It’s perfectly natural,” she applied her chakra to his leg. It was already starting to feel better, “besides,” she looked up, “I’m a cute girl just inches from your crotch. I'd be insulted if you weren’t at least a little excited.” She was cute, even in that damn mask. </p><p>He ignored the last comment, though, mostly because he wasn’t sure how to respond, “We can’t stay here, too risky. Do you have civilian clothes?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Okay, well, once you're done, let’s change, and we’ll stay in the village. It’ll be safer there. I don’t know if those guys were part of the organization or not,” he tried to be serious and professional, so happy she couldn’t see his face right now. </p><p>“Done,” she stood up, and he quickly fixed his pants. “I’m going to go behind that tree,” she pointed to the largest one in the clearing, “no peeking,” she sang. He had never seen her like this before, so forward and confident. And sexual. </p><p>Kakashi just had to change his shirt, which was nice, but he would have to take off his mask, both of them. They were going to stay in the village and pose as a couple, he didn’t want to risk staying in the woods after that confrontation, but that probably meant he’d have to share a room with Sakura, and she was acting… strange. Maybe he could get away with a believable older brother or father, but they looked nothing alike, so probably not. No, a couple was the safest route. </p><p>“Okay,” Sakura walked out from the other side of the tree, bag in hand, “Let’s go, oh-” she stopped, realizing her former sensei without his trademark mask, “Kakashi, I didn’t know you were hot.”</p><p>Everything just got harder. Another red dress, not as sexy but cute, sundresses got to him, “Well, surprise,” he waved his hands in the air, “Okay, we’re going to get a room at an inn, we’ll act as a couple and secure the room with traps. I think it’ll actually work better, neither of us will have to take shifts, and we’ll get a full night of sleep.”</p><p>“So, are we still Aki and Bito?” Sakura put her hands behind her back as they walked down the road. </p><p>“Yeah, we’re from Shimogo, I’ll be a shopkeeper, and you can be… housewife?” he teased. </p><p>Sakura punched his arm. There was a little chakra in it, “shut up. Are we married? I don’t see a ring,” she held up her hand. </p><p>“True, okay, you can be my girlfriend, but what do you do?”</p><p>“Waitress is fine,” she shrugged, “So when are you going to purpose?”</p><p>Kakashi rolled his eyes, “Stop it.”</p><p>Pouting at the response, Sakura went on the attack grabbing his arm, intentionally having it rest between her breasts, “you’re no fun.”</p><p>Quickly Kakashi grabbed her other arm and pushed her up against the tree, pinning her arm above her while still holding on to the one she grabbed. “This isn’t fun, Sakura. You’re in ANBU. It’s a different league,” his grip got harder, but it only made her smirk grow, which was a bit concerning. “This is an easy mission, but eventually, you’ll have to do things that will haunt you for the rest of your life. You won’t leave the same person you came in as. Do you understand that?” He wasn’t sure why he was so pissed now. </p><p>“Kakashi, it’s been a long time since you’ve been on a mission with me. I know ANBU will change me, but I’ve already become a different person. I’m not scared to change again,” she leaned in, her lips almost touching his. “Now, unless you’re going to turn me around and fuck me against this tree, I suggest you let me go. I don’t think we really look like a loving couple.”</p><p>He let go, turning around and continuing down the road. Sakura followed in silence until they reached the town. “What do you mean, you’re a different person?” Kakashi finally asked as the two followed the inn’s sign. </p><p>“You don’t want to know,” she said coldly. </p><p>For now, he dropped it, but he did want to know. It’s not like he would judge her; he couldn’t, it’s not like his past was exactly clean. But she could tell him when she was ready. They made it to the inn, grabbing Sakura’s hand and checking them in. Sakura was trying to hide how pissed off she was at Kakashi’s fake charm at the check-in desk. Never had she wanted to punch his face so bad. The room was nice, nicer than the forest anyway. “Okay,” Kakashi started setting up scrolls around the door, “can you do the windows?” </p><p>“Yeah,” Sakura started, “Can I shower first?”</p><p>“After dinner, sure.”</p><p>“You can start eating without me. I don’t care,” she actually found herself resenting having to hang out with Kakashi right now. </p><p>“We have to go out. There’s a rumor that when strangers come to town and don’t eat their ANBU, so we have to,” as he finished, he sat on the bed next to Sakura, who was still working. “I’m sorry about the tree thing. It was out of line.”</p><p>After the last scroll, Sakura dropped back first next to him, “So was telling you to fuck me, so let’s call it even. Going on missions with Kiba and Genma ruined me.”</p><p>“What?” He looked over, “Are you…?” he was hoping she wouldn’t make him say it.</p><p>“Fucking them? Yeah. Or I was. Kiba’s gotten all serious with cat girl, which is fine. And I got bored with Genma, but I think I’m too used to flirting on missions,” she found herself hoping to get a rise out of her partner. </p><p>That was probably why all of her reports emphasized how well she worked with those two. Genma was dead when he got back, but then again, he did send them on their first mission together. He should have sent Guy with her. “Huh, if I can ask, what was boring about it?” He probably shouldn’t ask. </p><p>Sakura was still lying on the bed, Kakashi noticing a small space between her dress and skin. She wasn’t wearing a bra. “The sex started out rough, it was super hot, but it’s just been to vanilla lately. I think it’s because he told me he was falling for me, made him go soft.”</p><p>A sound came out of him. He wasn’t sure if it was a scoff or nervous laugh, but it was in response to hearing his former student, who he had known since she was twelve, talk about liking rough sex. “Fair enough, I guess. Is that what you mean by being a different person?” He really hoped it was because that wasn’t bad at all. </p><p>“No,” she stared up to the ceiling, “that was nothing. It was just easy sex.” </p><p>He was a fucking idiot. There were several missions that she had to bring someone back dead or alive, but you make more if they're alive. They were all pretty dangerous, but Sakura insisted on doing these bounty missions, especially when she got to be the decoy. Her target always died by her hands, out of sight of her partner. Before, he just assumed it was a situation of kill or be killed, and killing was safer, but that’s not what was going on. “Sakura, when you did bounty missions, you always killed your target but never sustained any injuries. How did you do that?” </p><p>“Men let their guard down for pretty girls, Kakashi,” she sat up, “I’m a pretty girl, especially when I’m on top wearing a kimono with concealed weapons.” </p><p>“So you are,” he nodded, “did it make you feel better?”</p><p>“Not in the way I hoped it would.”</p><p>“Come on,” he stood up and held out his hand, “Let’s go get some food.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you guys like or any other thoughts!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Two months ago I ordered a Kakashi hoodie from China and for obvious reasons it got stuck in quarantine hell but I got it today so here you go.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They held hands through the town, acting especially in love. Kakashi pretended to whisper something sexy a few times, Sakura clinging tight to his arm as she had in the woods. At one point, Kakashi grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him, very close. He was still a little shocked at Sakura’s confession, though, but he understood. All of Sakura’s loss in her life was entirely out of her control, and if two activities could make you feel in control, it was sex and killing. He used them too, a long time ago, although he had never combined them. It was impressive, efficient too. </p><p>The restaurant had low lighting with a candle on each table. It was pretty romantic, so perfect for their cover. They ordered food and drinks, trying to keep up the bedroom eyes at each other to keep the ruse going, “I’ll take the couch tonight.” Kakashi offered. </p><p>“I’m shorter, I’ll take it,” she was right. Also, he would be the more physical one tomorrow, Sakura was support and medic, but still, he felt like an asshole, “we could share it,” she realized that she should probably stop flirting with the poor man, but it was too fun getting a rise out of him. </p><p>But Kakashi wasn’t going to let his former student get the better of him anymore, “Sakura,” he hummed, “We both know what happens when I’m too close to a cute girl,” referring back to the jab she made at him while healing his leg. </p><p>“Oh no,” she feigned distress, “an erection. Come on, Kakashi, I’m a twenty-seven-year-old medical professional. I’ll survive. I think the question is, will you?” </p><p>When did she get so good at this? Not ready to accept defeat, Kakashi refuted, “You know, I’m a lot more experienced than you are, my dear, I’ll be just fine. Did I ever tell you there was a time where I was the go-to honey pot agent?” He was completely full of shit. He just slept around with ALL the ANBU agents, but still, he was going for something here.</p><p>“No, you haven’t,” she leaned back in her chair, her arms crossed, “what are you trying to imply?”</p><p>He had her, “I don’t think you’d ever find me boring. No woman has before.”</p><p>The waiter came back, putting their plates on the table, whatever character Kakashi had adapted for that exchange left his body. In front of him was a very surprised Sakura. “Promise?” she collected herself just a bit. Had his voice always been so intoxicating?</p><p>“Eat,” he started into his food, ignoring the question, “we have to get to bed early.”</p><p>The rest of the dinner was relatively dull compared to their previous exchange. They did the whole hand-holding thing on the walk back but were a little less obnoxious about it, mostly because Kakashi was determined he would not sleep with his former student. Sakura was just tired. Once they got back to the room, she took the first shower and walked out in her ANBU uniform's tank top and pants. It was comfortable enough to sleep in. Kakashi was lounging on the bed with Make Out Tactics in one hand and twirling two kunai on two fingers in the other. He was really good with those fingers, and for the first time, she was curious about what he was reading about. Kakashi was just reading his book, and he liked to fidget with his kunai. He was oblivious as to how hot she thought he looked. “All yours,” Sakura dried her hair. </p><p>Kakashi set his book and kunai down on the side table. “Hope you left some hot water for me,” he grabbed a towel and closed the bathroom door. She sat on the bed where he was sitting and grabbed the book, lying on her back, holding the book above her. It was actually kind of hot, and she could appreciate how much it focused on pleasing the woman. Advocating for extensive foreplay and all the ways a guy could use his tongue. Was this what Kakashi was like in bed? She forced herself to stay awake to read more, but sleep took over her as her arms sunk, resting the book against her breasts. </p><p>Moments later, Kakashi walked out, also in his ANBU uniform, besides the vest. She had offered to sleep on the couch, but he wasn’t going to wake her. She was small, though, and there was plenty of room for him on the other side of her as he got closer though he noticed his book in her hands. “You grew up very fast, Sakura,” taking it out of her hands, careful not to touch anything, he moved to the other side and turned off the lights. </p><p>The next morning Kakashi felt pressure on his back. He had moved onto his side and found Sakura curled up against his back. It was a shame to wake her up, she was cute like this, but they had a mission to do. Luckily it didn’t take much to wake her. She was a light sleeper, most Shinobi were, except for Guy. They planned to come back after the mission was complete, so they put a do not disturb tag on the door, walked down in their regular clothes, and snuck back through the window, changing into their ANBU gear. The scrolls recognized them so they could come in and out freely. It was perhaps a bit overkill, but ANBU was overkill. </p><p>Stakeouts were always dull. This one was no different. They were on opposite sides of the suspected compound, only connected with a small earpiece. Every once and a while, they talked about dumb things they had done on missions and played fuck, marry, kill a few times. Sakura’s answer from the three guys Kakashi gave her: Fuck Shikamaru because of his shadow jutsu, marry Yamato because he’s a nice guy and unfortunately kill Lee, although adding that it broke her heart. Kakashi’s answers: Fuck Ten Ten, marry Hinata and kill Ino. He gave his answers quickly with no reason. Adding in that, he felt like an old pervert, even thinking of those girls that way. Also, swore Sakura to secrecy because if Guy or Naruto ever found out, he said that about Ten Ten or Hinata, they would kill him. Sai probably wouldn’t care too much, maybe be offended he didn’t want to fuck his wife. They were about to do the same-sex version, but something interesting happened. </p><p>Their boss came out, or at least they were pretty sure he was the boss. Honestly, all their information could be wrong. They saw him call all the guards in except one, “Sakura, I think we have an opening, let’s go.”</p><p>“Right.” It was twilight, a little earlier than they intended, but now they could get close. Earlier, they agreed to meet at the second-highest point on the building, a landing of sorts, where the vents came out. Once they were together, they scaled down the building on either side of a large window. They could see what looked like an elaborate lobby through it and the single doorman. They weren’t expecting anything. Perfect. Kakashi gave his partner a signal. He would go in first, and she would follow after the guard was taken out. </p><p>Through the window, she saw Kakashi snap his neck and drag him out of the immediate view. Quickly coming in after. While they were almost sure they were alone in the room, they still quickly made their way to the darkly lit hallway, checking their surroundings before moving forward. They heard footsteps and silently both slid into a hall closet, closing the door just enough to hide them. It was a tight squeeze, but he was happy there wasn’t any weird sexual tension. Sakura was a professional. Focusing on the sound of the footsteps, realizing they were walking away. They snuck back out. There was a staircase going down to the basement. A tight area like this was always risky, so they had to move fast. They both walked down, stopping at the bottom. Everyone was crowded around a table, so the two slipped by and hid behind a shelf. </p><p>Boss! Takoda is dead. There’s a breech!” A goon ran downstairs. Half of the guys ran back up. They saw the boss strap a small canon to his wrist. </p><p>Kakashi gave the signal for both of them to quietly take a guy out before getting everyone else. While Kakashi used the same technique as before, Sakura went for a bloody Kunai in the neck. It had been a long time since Kakashi had to rely solely on his taijutsu, which worried him a bit. He remembered taijutsu had never been Sakura’s strong suit, but she seemed to be doing just fine when he looked over. It really had been a long time since he had been in the field with her. The boss seemed to have figured out the cannon, as they were now avoiding blasts of Chakra. It only grazed Kakashi’s side, and it fucking hurt; he felt like someone had just branded him. It would be deadly in someone like Sakura’s hands who had an insane amount of Chakra and control. </p><p>The burn slowed him a little, but he was able to take his guy out and go for the boss who, without the cannon, would have been no problem. A bit of his hair was singed as he got closer, but luckily the guy’s aim was terrible. Sakura was doing him a huge favor. The goons were too focused on her to realize what he was doing. Kakashi killed the boss with ease grabbing the cannon and slipping it in a lockbox that was strapped to his leg made especially for this. He fully intended to help her with the last guys, but who was he to stop her fun. It was amusing to watch such a small person take down three huge men all at once. So brutally too, he had never seen so many kunai strikes in such a short amount of time, all three men fell at once. </p><p>Under the table, they saw a skinny little man in a lab coat who tried to save himself, saying he would create whatever they wanted for the Leaf village. But before Kakashi could ask him more, a shuriken hit his forehead, and it was deep. “What the fuck was that for,” Kakashi grabbed her wrist, “We could have used him.” But before Sakura could respond, all the men who had left came back down. Both of them threw several knives, embedded ten of them along the wall before swinging above the men, narrowly escaping without having to touch any of them. “Explode,” Kakashi threw up a hand sign, grabbing Sakura’s hand them running out of the building together as they felt the floor crumble below them. They were able to outrun it but only barely and fell over once they were safe because they had a hard time slowing down. Sakura landed on top of him. They both took off their masks and started laughing. It had been a long time since either of them had felt so alive. Sakura had taken quite a few S ranked missions, but Kakashi was right. ANBU was another level. </p><p>“Why am I laughing?” her head hit his chest. </p><p>It was a good mission back after being Hokage, “Because you’re alive Sakura,” both of his hands went to cup her cheeks, lifting her face up. “How was your first ANBU mission?”</p><p>Sakura didn’t answer at first, just staring at him, slowly she moved forward, pressing her lips against his, over his mask, “Amazing,” she was significantly calmer now. </p><p>He wasn’t quite sure how long he stared into her eyes. But he pulled down his mask and kissed her back, there was a fire where they set off the explosion, both of them, Sakura more, were covered in blood and completely high on adrenaline. Their kisses become deeper, sloppier, especially as Sakura fidgeted Kakashi pants and then her own. Kakashi bucked his hips up just enough to expose himself. She followed suit. Very little of them wasn’t clothed. There was no foreplay, only excitement for what had been building up since they left. It was some of the hottest sex either of them had ever had. Sakura bounced herself up and down his shaft. Her body tightened the closer to the tip she got and stretching out the more of him she took. She had never had a partner with as big of a dick as him. There were rumors that he was well endowed, but there were many rumors about the Hokage, so she didn't think about it too much. </p><p>“Fuck Sakura,” his hands grabbed her hips, slamming her down hard on him; she squealed each time, “you feel so good.” The good memories of his dream five years ago spilled into his brain. </p><p>“Harder,” she leaned forward, requesting between thrusts. </p><p>How could he deny such a simple request? She said she liked it rough, and he told her it’d never be boring. He moved her off him and turned her over, pulling her pants down more and sliding in. Grabbing her hair, he pulled her up, “I didn’t give you permission to kill that guy. It wasn’t your call.”</p><p>“What are you going to do about it?” She dared. Looking onward, the flames continued. There was a time she would be horrified with herself that any part of this situation turned her on, but again, she wasn’t the same person she once was. </p><p>“Why did you do it?” he asked again, thrusting just a little bit harder. </p><p>Apparently, Sakura found being interrogated during sex was also incredibly hot. Usually, she was stubborn when it came to finishing, but if he said the word, she would instantly. “Because I could, he was a piece of shit, we both know it ah-” The last one went deep. She could feel it’s pressure in her stomach. </p><p>“Fair enough,” he had no room to complain. He used to do the same shit. “I hate to cut it short, but I think I’m going to cum. Are you going to finish with me, or am I going to have to take care of you back in the room?” </p><p>She could have stopped herself, part of her wanted to just to take that offer up, but this just felt so good. He felt her tighten intensely around him, noticing her shoulders relaxing, which set him off. “Shit,” the adrenaline started depleting until he realized he didn’t wear a condom, and his partner was still in her twenties. “Shit!” </p><p>Sakura saw the look of horror on her face. “Don’t worry, I’m clean and can’t get pregnant,” she stood up, buttoning her pants up.</p><p>He trusted her, of course, but for his peace of mind, he had to ask, “how do you know?”</p><p>“My miscarriage, it… I can’t have kids,” she said it so coldly as she ran her fingers through her hair before going for her cat mask. </p><p>“Oh,” he didn’t know that. It made him sad. He remembered when she was pregnant, and she would visit his office and talk about how excited she was to be a mom, which was a weird memory to pop in his head after what they just did, “Right. We should probably head back.”</p><p>“Yeah, I need a shower even more now,” She ran off, leaving Kakashi to catch up after grabbing his mask on the ground. </p><p>Sakura still beat him to the window. They would have to do the whole couple's routine to walk back in, but he was fine waiting for Sakura to rinse off. It wasn’t like she could clean herself up out in a field. She was smart, not getting her hair wet, she came out and changed, not bothering to hide herself in front of him. Funny how the first time he saw her naked was after they had sex. “Let’s go,” she was already by the window. </p><p>“Yeah,” the two jumped out and held hands, smiling like they hadn’t just killed multiple people, blew up a building, and had sex right in front of the destruction of it all. “I’m going to bed,” Kakashi laid on the bed. </p><p>“I’m going to wash my hair. I think the pink hides it well, but there’s still some blood in it,” she went back into the bathroom, coming out again in her dress. Her ANBU clothes were soaked with blood; she rinsed them and left them to dry, while tempting to sleep naked, probably not a great idea. “Want the shower?”</p><p>“Help me up,” he stretched out his arms; he really was getting old. </p><p>Sakura rolled her eyes, “Geezer,” she yanked him up. </p><p>Again Sakura fell asleep shortly after he started to shower, and he came back to her curled up, her dress exposing her upper thigh and one of the straps hanging off her shoulder. Kakashi got in next to her and for a second was wide awake looking at the ceiling. Tonight he slept with his former student. True, that was over a decade ago, and he had never considered anything sexual with her until a few years ago, but it still felt wrong. But it felt so good. He wasn’t sure if he wanted it to happen again or not. Then there was the miscarriage thing. How did he not know she couldn’t have kids after that? He was there that day, talked to Tsunade. Not to mention him and Sakura hung out a lot after that, they had some deep conversations, but she never brought it up. It was really bothering him that he didn’t know, and he wasn’t sure why. But whatever was going on. It was a problem for tomorrow, Kakashi, right now, he just wanted some sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I LOVE writing Sakura in this story. Writing this story is literally getting me through this term.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have a total of fifty pages I have to write in the next three weeks about health policy so obviously I have to write this story instead. Grad school is wild and procrastination is real.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As the sunlight filled the small hotel room, Sakura folded her arms on Kakashi’s bare chest. His shirt was also pretty blood-soaked. So many years spent trying to see his face, and the reveal was so anti-climatic. But still, he was good-looking, more so than she expected, and like this, she could take it all in. A man in his forties, especially one whose lived such a stressful life, should have wrinkles around his mouth and eyes, but his skin was incredibly smooth, nearly flawless. Indeed a medical mystery. </p><p>It would have been so easy to lie like she had done with Genma and Kiba, to all her one night stands. Birth control, no one questioned that, or she could have said medics could regulate their bodies. It’s how she knew she was clean. But the truth just slipped out. The only other people who knew were Tsunade and Shizune. They had to remove her uterus, or Sakura would have died. Sometimes though, she wished they hadn’t. Having kids wasn’t the end all be all; a part of her still wanted to be a mother. And if she had died that day, there wouldn’t be so much pain now. She could have gone, quietly and peacefully with her daughter. But no, she was here, and her daughter was dead, now she was in bed with her former sensei. </p><p>Once, when she was twelve, Kakashi asked what she wanted to be when she was older. Of course, Sakura said the strongest kunoichi the leaf village had ever seen, but then she added Sasuke’s wife as she would have cute baby girls. She shared all the names she had picked out. Kakashi laughed, not to be mean, but because she wanted it all, and it reminded him of the dreams of a certain orange goggle-wearing Uchiha who once told him that he wanted to be Hokage, marry Rin and have a ton of cute kids. Of course, Sakura didn’t know that and just thought he was a jerk. But that young girl would have never guessed where things ended up. </p><p>She always tried to sneak out after one night stands, but she didn’t mind cuddling a little after when it was Kiba or Genma. Ultimately she cared about both of them, and they cared for her. Also, the comfort and warmth were nice, even if it was fleeting. But time was slow like this, maybe because Sakura loved him. Not in the way she loved Sasuke or how Naruto and Hinata loved each other, but in their way. They were close, had saved each other’s lives countless times, and became each other's confidants in the past couple of years. Sakura trusted three people with her life: Tsunade, Naruto, and him. If that wasn’t love, what was?</p><p>“Mornin’,” His eyes started to open. It was nice to wake up to her face. It had been a while since he had a pretty girl in his bed. </p><p>“Mornin’,” she responded, pressing harder into him, “How do you feel?”</p><p>“Sore,” his lower half, mostly, he ran hard to get out of the blast zone. It wasn’t like he didn’t train as Hokage but not always having his life on the line softened him. “You?”</p><p>Sakura frowned mockingly, “Maybe you’re too old to be out in the field.” Kakashi just rolled his eyes in response, “But I’m fine. Weird question, but do you use any products on your face?” </p><p>It was a weird question, “Uh no, I wash it every night, but that’s it, why?” he touched his face. It seemed normal. </p><p>“Bastard,” she said under her breath, “Nothing, don’t worry about it. You too sore for round two?” her hand ran down his leg. Although she was disappointed that he wasn’t hard already. </p><p>To be fair, under different circumstances, he would be. Especially in the morning with a woman on top of him, but he couldn’t feel below his waist. Which was for the best, “Sakura, I don’t know if we should do this again.” He probably should have pushed her off him too, but she was so warm. </p><p>“Fine,” she groaned, bringing her hand back up, “lame.”</p><p>That was easier than he expected, “Yeah, I know. But we work together, and soon we’ll have a team too, trust me, in a four-person team, relationships can get messy.” Back when he and Itachi were in ANBU together, Itachi scolded him for sleeping around a few times, which was fair. There were a few times it compromised teamwork. </p><p>“I don’t want you to be my boyfriend, Kakashi. I just wanted you to fuck me when I’m bored,” it was fitting she picked a cat mask because she was practically purring right now. </p><p>When did her mouth get so dirty? This was the same girl who used to get nosebleeds at the sight of shirtless men. Now he was pretty sure she would just jump them. “You know you should pick up a hobby, Sakura. May I suggest flower arrangement?” It was a bit of a jab. In her file so long ago, her academy record showed some of the highest test scores he had ever seen, except in one subject. </p><p>“I can’t believe I slept with you,” she glared before sitting up, “Come on, get up. We need to leave soon.” </p><p>Kakashi now regretted that last comment. He already missed the pressure on his chest, he could have stayed like that all day, but she was right. “Yeah,” he sat up too, standing up hurt, but he had pushed through much worse, “Will you throw me my shirt.” Sakura, who was grabbing her clothes, threw the black fabric towards him. He slipped it on while grabbing the rest of his stuff and pulling down the trap scrolls. They would have to check out as a couple and walk out as one. To be safe, they should keep up the act a few miles out. ANBU was thorough, and while he would have done this with any female partner, a part of him was glad it was Sakura’s hand he got to hold. </p><p>After checking out, they stopped by a cafe and picked up a small breakfast and tea. It helped sell the whole thing, and while a bit glamorous for an ANBU mission, he figured they deserved it. After getting out of town, they walked alone in the woods. They would for about an hour before changing and going full speed towards Konoha, they probably didn’t need to walk that long, but his legs hurt, and wasn’t looking forward to moving among the trees. Besides, they weren’t really in a hurry. They could walk the whole way and still make it back at a reasonable time. </p><p>“Did you not like it? You looked like you liked it,” Sakura asked, still sipping on her tea. </p><p>All he wanted was to drop it and pretend like it didn’t happen. But something told him Sakura wasn’t going to give up so easily, “I liked it. A lot, actually.”</p><p>“I don’t get it. If you liked it and I liked it, why can’t we do it again? You haven’t even seen what my mouth can do,” she teased, the back of her hand very intentionally touching his thigh.</p><p>He groaned, “Sakura come on; it’s a bad idea, I’m your captain again, not to mention your former sensei. I’m also fourteen years older than you; you don’t want to sleep with me. We just had adrenaline running through us. It was fun, and now it’s over.”</p><p>Sakura pouted, “I have no problem sleeping with you and keeping it professional. You’ve seen me in the field. I’m focused.” She was right, “Let’s be real; you were only my teacher for like a year. Tsunade taught me way more than you ever did.” Again true, he had his hands full with the boys. He always felt bad about that, “Also, Genma is also fourteen years older, and it was fine. I don’t care. Yes, the adrenaline made it hotter, but it was fun, and I don’t want it to be over.”</p><p>“I’ll think about it, okay?” If he was honest with himself, there wasn’t much to think about. They probably would sleep together again. It was too good for both of them not to; he just felt like he had to act the part of the responsible captain.</p><p>“Well, you think about it, and when you figure it out, page forty-six,” she gave him a smirk before walking in front of him. </p><p>Kakashi grabbed his copy of Make Out Tactics and flipped to the page number. Ah, that scene. A compelling argument. She was good, a little too good. The walk continued, and lucky for Kakashi, the conversation was civil, just small talk about their friend’s kids, a new weapon Sakura had bought from Ten Ten. Finally, though, it was time to change, Sakura slipping her pants on underneath her dress then taking it off to slip on her shirt and vest. Still not wearing a bra, which he found a bit odd and not just because she was shirtless in front of him in the middle of the forest. </p><p>When he bent down to grab his vest, he winced, “Sit,” Sakura pointed to the ground. Too tired to protest, he did as he was told. Sakura sitting down, one hand on each leg, her hands glowed green, “I’m only going to do this once, old man, and only because you’ll slow me down.”</p><p>Kakashi chuckled, “Thanks. I owe you one.”</p><p>“Page forty-six,” she sang. </p><p>“Sakaru, have you ever considered a cold shower?” How this girl had so many advances in her arsenal was beyond him. </p><p>She stopped and stood up, his legs feeling much better but still a little sore. He probably should have waited until she was done to tease her, but he couldn’t resist. “What? I like sex with hot men, sue me,” her hands on her hips. </p><p>“Aw, you think I’m hot,” he stood up too, patting her head, “you’re not bad yourself, Haruno.” He moved past her starting to run through the trees, pulling his mask down. Sakura followed, annoyed at his last comment. They ran halfway through the forest before speaking to each other, which wasn’t too weird, mostly because the two of them just wanted to get home. But finally, Kakashi gave her a plan, “We’ll go deliver the cannon to Ibikki, go home, and I’ll come pick you up at eight.”</p><p>Sakura turned to him, “Why are you picking me up?”</p><p>“It’s your first ANBU mission, and it was successful. I’ll buy you a drink. My captain did it for me after my first mission,” it was probably not a great idea, but he was already planning on doing this before the sex. </p><p>“Weren’t you fourteen?” Sometimes she forgot how young he was when he joined. She couldn’t imagine her fourteen-year-old self doing a mission like the one they just completed. </p><p>“Yeah, my first captain was kind of crazy. He also tried to buy me a prostitute, but I politely declined,” war times were something else, especially in ANBU. Everyone knew their lives could end any second, which offered a strange dynamic. But peace took a little edge off, “he didn’t want me to die a virgin. But I saved myself from that fate before I joined.”</p><p>“Seriously? Younger than fourteen?” She wasn’t sure why, but it made her sad. </p><p>“Yup, only once, my teammate and I were mourning the death of our friend. I think you can relate. Sex can be comforting. It was bad, and I had no idea what I was doing, but it happened,” It took him a while to sleep with someone again after that. </p><p>There was a night, right after Sasuke died, she and Naruto were crying, and she had a very sudden urge to kiss him. If he didn’t have a pregnant wife at home, she probably would have tried. Luckily though, she restrained herself, and the urge never hit her again. He was right. She just wanted the comfort; she probably would have wanted to kiss whoever was with her. Sakura pressed forward, not responding as she was lost in thoughts, which was fine by Kakashi. </p><p>In Ibikki’s office, they handed over the canon and removed their masks, “Alright, I want a report from both of you in the next three days. Also, I’ve decided not to give you a team. You’ll be a two-man squad,” he inspected the box’s content.</p><p>“What do you mean?” Sakura was a little irritated about how Kakashi seemed to have a bit of protest in his voice.</p><p>Ibikki looked back at him, narrowing his eyes, “Two-man,” he pointed to Sakura, “One,” then to him, “Two. Did you forget how to count Hatake?” Sakura bit her tongue, trying not to laugh. “Four-man squads are ideal, but I’ve formed two-man groups before when the members demonstrate exceptional teamwork and have a special skill set. You two fit the bill.”</p><p>They were definitely going to sleep together again; eventually, Kakashi silently resigned. “Ah, okay, then. When’s our next mission?”</p><p>“Three days,” he was already filling out some paperwork, not paying attention to them, “You’re dismissed.” </p><p>The two bowed their heads and disappeared, not saying goodbye before parting as they would see each other soon enough. While at home, Kakashi showered and ate. He had another two hours before meeting Sakura, so he lounged on his sofa. Ibikki was right. The teamwork, silent signaling, and borderline mind reading during the mission usually took years for teams to develop. Despite not being in the field together for almost a decade, it felt like they had been doing it their whole lives. Adding someone would probably slow them down. When he rejoined the ANBU, it was to protect Sakura, not sleep with her. Naruto was going to kill him if he ever found out. </p><p>Drinks were pretty innocent. There was some light flirting. Sakura noted how much hotter guys look in ANBU uniforms instead of the regular jonin ones that he was wearing now. Kakashi did make a bold play, though, but it was purely out of curiosity. “When you changed into your ANBU gear in the forest, you didn’t wear a bra. I thought it was hard for women to move athletically without one.”</p><p>Sakura shrugged, “For people like Ino, Hinata, Tsunade,” she glanced, he picked up on what she meant, “sure. But I’m flat-chested, so as long as my clothes are snug on the top, I just don’t need it. Especially not in that ANBU vest.” </p><p>“Fair. For our next mission, we have to be better at codenames, we should even call each other them when we’re alone. Also, you can’t just kill whoever you want,” he frowned, they had only spoken about it while they were having sex, but it was a punishable offense. “In my report, I’m going to say he killed himself by slitting his throat instead of talking, and you didn’t have time to heal him before he bled out. I suggest you write the same thing.”</p><p>“You don’t have to lie for me,” she huffed. </p><p>“Yes, I do. You made a bad call on your first mission, and as your captain, I have to tell you. I have the authority to bench you, but I won’t.” This was also why he didn’t want to sleep with her. It made conversations like this, even shitter. “ANBU isn’t an excuse to do whatever you want, the opposite actually. You might have a cat mask, but you’re a dog now, Naruto’s, in fact, remember your place.”</p><p>It killed her that he was right. And she did still want to sleep with him again, so she had to prove she could separate his dick from being her captain. “Fine, I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.”</p><p>“Good,” he was glad she could take the criticism, “My old captain lied for me too. Everyone does it as long as it’s not too bad.”</p><p>Sakura nodded, made sense, especially the Yamato part. “So, I’m guessing we should also lie that we fucked after blowing up the compound.”</p><p>“Ah,” he set down his drink, “you’re becoming a real ANBU. And yeah, probably, I don’t think Ibikki is even a closet pervert. But maybe if it was in your report he would like it, hot young female agent, writing about her sexual exploits. Would turn on most guys.” For someone trying not to sleep with her again, he was maybe a little too flirtatious. But alcohol always hit him harder after missions, and god, she was hot. </p><p>It was her turn to play hard to get, “No, Kakashi, you just want a new volume of Icha Icha. Maybe if you’re good, I’ll write something for you, but I’d need some inspiration.” He could feel her foot brush against his. </p><p>Kakashi cocked his head back, a smile forming behind his covering, “Alright,” he stood up, “I’m going home.” </p><p>“Why,” she whined like a child. </p><p>She felt his hand on top of her head, “I’m tired, I think you are too, and I’ve spent three days listening to your sexual innuendos. I officially need a break. Have a good few days off, Sakura.” He walked away, waving to his partner as he did so.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Let me know what you guys think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So the reason I've been writing all this KakaSaku lately is I'm rewatching Naruto. And the further I get the more I realize I forgot so if I get anything wrong about ANBU or whatever else I'm sorry I'm slowly working on it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next three days were dull; Kakashi read, hung out with Guy, but mostly slept. Sakura hung out with Ino and Naruto, and their families, Inojin, Boruto, and Himawari, loved their aunty Sakura. But she also visited her husband and daughter's grave. They were in the Uchiha plot. No one ever went back there, so it was always calm and quiet. Some people talked to graves, but that was never her cup of tea. She just sat in front of them, waiting to wake up the nightmare where neither of them was with her. Sasuke would probably be annoyed that she slept with Kakashi, but he would just have to understand. He was comforting and safe, and sometimes the only person who made her feel sane. </p><p>Early in the morning, the day before they had to leave, Kakashi had also stopped by his friend’s grave to clean them. Only because of the pink hair could he make out Sakura in the distance. There was so much of him he was starting to see in her. But that wasn’t a good thing. He let her be, though; this was a sacred time that he respected. Besides, he would see her tonight to go over the dossier and see plenty of him on the mission. It was good to get space when they were home. </p><p>“Yo,” the door opened to Sakura in small shorts and a cropped tank top, a film of sweat on her skin, “were you working out?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she grabbed the file from his hands, “Rouge rock nin?” she looked up at Kakashi, “Why are we dealing with it?”</p><p>“Naruto made a deal with the Tsuchikage, a rogue nin is hiding in the Land of Fire, but they lost track of him. Our spy network has a promising lead, and it’s better and more efficient to send people who know the area.”</p><p>“No way,” Sakura set the file down, “We’re going to the Great Naruto Bridge?”</p><p>Kakashi smiled, “Yeah, there’s reason to believe he’s fleeing to the Land of Waves next. This guy is smart, but he’s also pretty twisted. I met him once, a long time ago at a diplomatic meeting. Think Ibikki with a screw loose, or two.”</p><p>“That’s not good,” she shuddered at the thought, “Let me rinse off, and we can make a plan?” </p><p>“Yeah,” Kakashi grabbed the file and sat at the table, “Take your time.”</p><p>It had been several days since she had seen her partner. She missed teasing him. “Come join me?” She wrapped her arms around him from behind, lowering her head, “I’ve been thinking a lot about our night together, especially last night.”</p><p>He could feel her breast against his back, and despite the sweat, she smelled sweet, and the insinuation, she touched herself to the thought of him was almost enough to shut his brain off. “Someday, that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble,” he carefully removed her arms, “Do I need to report you to Ibikki for sexual harassment?”</p><p>“You report me I report you,” she leaned in closer to his ear, “Cap-tin.” With that, she walked away. The next thing she heard was the shower turn on. If he died an early death, it was her fault. Kakashi slammed his head against the table, hoping his head would crack open. But it wasn’t her fault, he could tell Ibikki they slept together, and it compromised their working relationship. There would be no punishment since their mission was successful. It would just annoy Ibikki. But it didn’t. They were a great team; also, he just didn’t want to. Maybe he was a masochist, but despite the torture she was putting him through, he kind of loved it. His father once told him nothing was more dangerous than a determined kunoichi. As usual, he was right. </p><p>She came out in sweats and a T-shirt, and they got down to business, making their plan of attack. His name was Takahata. While he was an excellent shinobi for challenging and dangerous missions, his blood lust was going unchecked without the village to restrain him. There was a trail of bodies, mostly young women, their clothes torn. “Fucking sicko,” she spat, reading the victims list, “Want me to play decoy?”</p><p>It was a good idea. He should say yes, even if it makes him uncomfortable, “No, I’d don’t think that’s a good idea.”</p><p>“It is actually. He goes for women in their early twenties. I’m a little older, but I look young. All the girls were walking alone at night in various red-light districts. He likes them vulnerable. Come on. This isn’t the first time I’ve been undercover as a sex worker. It probably won’t be the last,” she shrugged. </p><p>“ANBU shouldn’t show their face,” he brought up but knew he was losing. </p><p>Their relationship in the past week had quickly become intense and flirtatious, but for a second, he felt the touch of the Sakura, who used to find refuge in his office or spare bedroom. “I’m smart, strong, and fast, Kakashi,” she reached out and touched his hand, “I’ll be okay. Please trust me.” </p><p>He squeezed her hand before relenting, “Yeah, I trust you. Let’s do it, I’ll watch you from the rooftops, and we’ll keep in touch with our com. When you need me to come in, use the code word moonlight, sound good?” </p><p>“Can I kill him?” A little too eagerly asked Sakura, although Kakashi wouldn’t mind sticking a knife in him either. </p><p>“I would rather you not. The Rock wants him alive, but he’s dangerous. If alive isn’t possible, then it’s not possible,” He leaned in with an intense look in his eyes, “Promise me you’ll be smart and careful. No going rouge, we’re a team, right?” <br/>Their hands were still touching on the table, “Right,” she smiled back, pulling down his mask with her free hand. “I’m going to kiss you then go to bed. See you tomorrow morning?” Kakashi just nodded and let her come closer to him until their lips touched. Just a second ago, she was trying to get him in the shower. Now this simple peck on his lips left him speechless. Who knew one girl, in one night, could put him on such a rollercoaster. </p><p>The next morning they met at the gates. It would take two days to reach the village. The first day they went fast to make it to the village by the afternoon to stake out the redlight district and tweak their plan accordingly. By the time they set up camp, both of them were exhausted, Sakura not even trying to make a quip at him. They took off their vests and ate some rations, Kakashi offering to take the first watch. Sakura quickly fell asleep, wanting to use all the time she had. Her black tank top was loose on her tiny frame, even if that tiny frame was entirely muscle. It was cute, hard to believe that she turned into such a deviant once she woke up. Maybe giving in to her advances wouldn’t be such a bad idea. They were adults, and as long as it didn’t compromise their work, what was the big deal? But he still couldn’t shake how wrong it felt, not yet at least. Halfway through, Kakashi woke her up for her guard shift, and before long, it was morning. They cleaned up camp and headed out. </p><p>It was almost like old times. The town had undoubtedly grown the past decade; it was industrialized heavily, no longer just a fishing town. Using the rooftops, they silently made their way to the red light district, noting its layout. Kakashi gave the signal, and they ran out back to the village's outskirts into the forest. “They have a love inn. Girls pay for the night and have clients come in and out. Let’s pay for one in advance and try to lure him in. That way, no one will see us.”</p><p>He didn’t want to know how she knew about these inns. “Okay, did you bring something to change into?” If anyone filled out the ANBU uniform, well, it was her, but it didn’t scream lady of the night. </p><p>“Of course,” she took off her mask and started stripping, using her chakra to enlarge her bag. Out of it, she pulled a dress and kimono, “hold this.” She handed over the kimono that was quite pretty, red with gold stitching. Sakura took off her shirt and threw on an underdress, a thin white slip with even more delicate straps. She took off her pants underneath. It left very little to his imagination. Kakashi handed her the Kimono when she stuck her hand out. She slipped it on, tying it with a gold sash and pulling down the shoulders to leave some of her exposed. Again, reaching into her bag, she pulled out two hairpins. “Ten Ten helped me make these. If I stab someone with them, it’ll knock them out. Here,” she also pulled out some capsules, “I made these the other night. They’re tranquilizers, made of the same stuff. It’ll make it easier to transport if we don’t kill him.”</p><p>“You know you could have told me about all this before,” he was impressed. He thought he would just have to beat him unconscious or something continuously. </p><p>“Sorry, I meant last night, but I forgot,” she clipped her hair, putting the pins in. “I also have a compartment in each sleeve with shuriken.” <br/>This kimono was no joke, “Did you make this?”</p><p>“Kind of,” one last time she reached for her bag and pulled out a silk garter, “Ten Ten and I designed it. Can you tie this to my thigh? It’s hard to get it tight enough when I do it to myself. It’s to hide a Kunai.” She continued to fiddle with the pins. </p><p>For once, he was quite sure this wasn’t a ploy. She was in mission mode. Which almost made it worse. But he bent down, moving her kimono and lifting the dress, her white panties just barely noticeable. Underneath, her skin was cool, and as he tied the garter, slipping one of his kunai in the holder, he lingered a moment longer than he had too before standing up.</p><p>“Okay, how do I look?” Sakura twirled, making sure everything would stay in place.</p><p>No part of her wasn’t absolutely stunning right now. He was never one for red-light districts, but if she were there, he’d go broke. “You look good,” he managed. Sakura cleaned up her ANBU gear and shrunk her bag with her chakra. It made traveling very convenient. “I saw an entrance into the city from the red light district. You should probably go through there. I’ll walk you a little before getting up high.”</p><p>Sakura put her com in, hiding it with the hair that was still down. They wouldn’t have to walk far, but the constraints from the kimono considerably slowed her down. </p><p>It was the end of twilight; the colors in the sky were quite romantic. Maybe in a different context, two people could fall in love under it. But not right now, not them, they had a mission. Kakashi noticed Sakura holding the Kimono up, so it didn’t get mud on it. “Here,” he grabbed her back and legs and carefully lifted her, making sure not to ruin her hair or sash, “too slow.”</p><p>“I can’t ask an old man to carry me all the way,” she grinned. </p><p>Kakashi just glared, “You’re not heavy. Just don’t ask for a kiss.”</p><p>With his defenses down, Sakura made a play for his mask. She liked how easy it was to see his face now. “You want to kiss me, though. You enjoyed strapping that garter to me a little too much,” her finger traced the pattern on his mask. </p><p>“Aki, we’re working,” he said as seriously as he could, but she was right. </p><p>“I am working. I’m supposed to flirt with men. Let me get in the headspace with you,” he gave her a look like he didn’t trust her intentions. “I’m serious! This guy is gross, but I have to act like the sight of him makes me wet,” She said unenthused, “Let me flirt with you. You can ask Kiba and Genma. It really does help with missions like these.”</p><p>“Do whatever you need. I’m not going to ask them, though,” he looked down her kimono, slipping further down her shoulders, “Did they know you killed the guys while having sex with them?” He asked calmly. </p><p>“No, I told them I had to act quick, or they were getting too rough,” she matched his tone. “They don’t think I’m weak per se, but I don’t think they know I’m capable enough to have captured all those guys alive if I wanted to.”</p><p>Kiba was a pleasant enough guy, and Genma was in ANBU once upon a time, but neither of them had felt loss like they had. Sure they lost friends in the war, but they didn’t lose the people they held the closest to their hearts. It did something to you, in your core, your DNA. If they knew what was actually going on, they would do their best not to judge but fail, try to show concern, dote on her perhaps, but Kakashi felt absolutely no judgment towards her actions. He worried about her, he always would, but he knew, sometimes you just had to go through it, in whatever way gets you out alive on the other side. The tranquilizers gave him hope, though. She wasn’t here with the intent to kill. </p><p>They reached the entrance, and Kakashi vanished up onto the roof. “Alright, Aki, I have eyes on you.” His voice was comforting. She bought a room and set her bag down; it was cute, with several pillows on the floor, a little sink, and towels. She had sprung for one of the nicer rooms, though. It was dark. Other women were flooding the streets, and no shortage of men eying her. She dropped to a side street to get away from all the eyes. Also, this is where Takahata liked to find his girls. Luckily she didn’t have to wait long</p><p>“Hello, little miss,” she had to admit, his picture was a bad one, too bad he was still scum of the earth, “How much to take you right here against this wall?” </p><p>“I would rather go to my room, sir,” she bowed her head, “But I promise if you follow me, I’ll make you see god,” her voice dropped. Kakashi didn’t realize, but his eyes were rolling at that comment. His MO was to rape and kill girls in the alleyway, which she was ready for, but she hoped he would be intrigued enough by her offer to switch it up. It would be easier if no one walked in on anything, and it was hard to hear through the walls of the room. </p><p>His eyes were a giveaway. He took the bait. Holding out his arm, he took it, “My first love as a boy had hair like yours. Pink is a rare color,” he stroked the side of her face. “Her name was Yumi,” Sakura noted the past tense, “what’s yours, my dear?”</p><p>“Aki, sir, but you can call me whatever you’d like,” he grinned back at her. She wanted to slap it off him. </p><p>He reached around her shoulders, grabbing her breast with his hand, “She was bigger than you, but I can let that go.” It took Sakura by surprise, but it was par for the course. She shrugged it off. On the other hand, Kakashi was thinking of the slowest, most painful way to kill this man. </p><p>They reached the room, “Sit Yumi,” his smile curled, “It’s time to play a little game.” Sakura sat, ready to grab her pin at a moment's notice. One of them was about to win this exchange, and Sakura was determined it would be her.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm really enjoying this story, as much as I love my other one, Thicker Than Blood, it's fun to get all the really angsty sexy stuff out here. Thicker Than Blood is melodramatic but definitely more fluffy! Anywho thanks for reading, leave a review telling me what you thought or just how your day is going. I'm stuck inside for online school and crave interaction lol</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>When I'm excited about a story I have a really hard time not posting it all at once lol. I'm up to chapter 17 in my drafts and I'm using so much self-restraint. </p><p>TW: attempt assault, some violence and blood</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Yumi, you broke my heart,” he grabbed her cheeks with one hand, leaning over her, “Tell me you're pregnant.” The look in his eyes would freeze a younger her in her tracks, but she didn’t know fear, not anymore. Or that’s what she kept telling herself.</p><p>This was getting weird. Kakashi wanted to pull her out now. But she hadn’t given the signal, and he had made her promise not to go rogue, so he wouldn’t either as much as he wanted to. “I’m pregnant,” the words stung. She could feel him reach for something in his pocket.</p><p>“First, I’m going to fuck you, then I’m going to cut that little monster out of you, and then I’m going to slit your throat. And that cute little fiancee is going to take all the blame, you whore,” he slapped her. Hard. Sakura could taste the metallic liquid filling her mouth, “any last words?”</p><p>It was clear. There was a kunai pressed to her stomach. She could feel him pressed against her thigh through his pants, “I wish I could see the moonlight.”</p><p>“Interesting last-” before he could finish, Kakashi busted him. Still, Takahata was fast, first trying to stab Sakura’s stomach, he missed, leaving only a long superficial cut as she moved her hips along the side of the blade. When that failed, he pinned her to the wall, both hands restrained by his, a kunai at her neck. Just as quickly though, Kakashi’s was pressed against his. “ANBU, huh?” She looked back at Sakura, “Step back, dog,” his kunai pricked her neck, “you and your girl can both get out of here alive. You just have to let me go.”</p><p>It was a smart move, he wouldn’t make it out alive if he killed Sakura, but Kakashi would throw away the mission to save her. Unsure what to do, he saw a look in Sakura’s eyes. He had to step back. She had a plan. “We’re not letting you leave you piece of shit,” Sakura spat. </p><p>The kunai ran down her body, under her dress. She could feel the cold metal against her thigh, pointing up. “Watch your mouth, I might not get to fuck you, but my little friend just might” he smelled her neck to both Sakura and Kakashi’s disgust, “It’s too bad I don’t get a taste of your for myself.”</p><p>“And you never will,” she challenged again, trying to forget his threat. Kakashi hated that she was poking him. She was seconds from having a kunai driven inside her. </p><p>Takahata smiled wide. Blood was dripping out of the corner of her mouth, “just a small lick for the road,” he teased, sticking his tongue out to get his taste.</p><p>There was very little that surprised Kakashi anymore. He had seen the worst of the worst. Reanimated shinobi, tailed beast, giant chakra avatars, but nothing in his past could prepare him for what Sakura did. She grabbed his tongues with her teeth and bit down hard. The kunai he was holding hit the floor, and Kakashi came in, about to administer a tranquilizer Sakura stopped him, spitting the bit of him out. “Wait,” she took out a pin and pressed it against his neck, “I hope you burn.” She whispered as he went unconscious. Quickly she went to work healing his tongue. </p><p>“Didn’t think you’d want to save him,” Kakashi watched. Sakura’s face was bloodied and bruised. </p><p>“I want him to suffer; rouge nin get tortured before death, I want him to feel it. It’s easy to die from blood loss when your tongue gets cut out,” she stood up. “It’s dark. Take off your ANBU gear and carry him out like he’s drunk. No one will look twice.” They had made arrangements with local law enforcement to hold Takahata until Rock diplomats could get him. Their job would be easier, thanks to Sakura’s tranquilizers. “Tell them once every four hours,” she sat by the sink and wetted a towel. </p><p>He should get Takahata out as soon as possible, but he also felt wrong leaving her, “You okay?” He tried to comfort her with a hand to her shoulder, but she recoiled.</p><p>“Yes, captain.” She didn’t look up at him when she answered. </p><p>That was her way of telling him to leave her alone, which was fine. He grabbed the limp body and took him to the station. After he left, Sakura noticed drops of water hitting the mat. It was from her. She hadn’t cried in years. But this mission- she was scared when he had her pinned his hands and knife under her dress. She took off her kimono and hung in on a hook, there was blood on it, but she could properly clean it later. The white dress, however, was destroyed. It was redder now. She was going to change as soon as she stopped shaking. Her head dropped between her knees as she tried and failed to collect herself. It was unclear how long, but Kakashi was there, both masks off when she looked up. </p><p>He started with the blood on her face, wiping it with a wet towel, “Take off your dress Sakura,” he whispered. He pulled out a spare shirt in his pack. It was long-sleeved and would probably come down lower than the slip had. Her hands were shaking too much to do it all the way, but Kakashi helped the last little bit. Some blood-soaked through onto her skin, so he wiped it away, grabbing a new towel after, “put this on,” he handed her the long sleeve. It was warm and smelled like him. Her nerves started to slow. Usually, medics could heal themselves, but he wasn’t sure if she could do it tonight. So he grabbed the medkit that Rin had made him a long time ago, that he always kept stocked, and cleaned the cut on her chest and side. As the alcohol touched the open wound, Sakura didn’t flinch. She just sat, trusting her whole being to him. </p><p>It wasn’t the prettiest patch job, but Sakura could fix it in the morning. Where he struck, her face was bruised. She washed her mouth several times and was fairly confident all his blood was out. “I’m never biting a guy’s tongue again,” she said coldly after the last rinse. </p><p>“Full of surprises,” he kissed the top of her head before taking out the pins and clips. Meanwhile, Sakura unhooked the garter. “But yeah, didn’t look pleasant for either of you, but you survived, so I’m glad you did.” Kakashi moved some pillow against the wall and sat on them, “Come here,” he gestures. </p><p>Slowly Sakura stood up and made herself at home between his legs, resting her head against the top of his thigh. “We only have this place another five hours.”</p><p>“Rest for five hours, then, I’ll stay awake,” he stroked her hair. “You did good, you know, I’m not injured at all, and you’ve only got some superficial wounds. Takahata is alive in jail, and I told that little story he told you to the authorities, so they’ll pass it along to the Rock.”</p><p>“What kind of monster kills a pregnant woman?” Her voice was more strained. </p><p>Kakashi sighed. He thought that the whole pregnancy interaction would be rough on her, “I don’t know, the worst kind, I suppose. How you holding up?”</p><p>“Fine, I guess,” her eyes struggled to stay open, “Thank you, Kakashi,” were the last words before she drifted off the sleep. </p><p>The mental image of Sakura biting a guy’s tongue off would stick with him until the day he died, but he was just glad she was alive. Part of him hoped this incident was enough to make her want to quit ANBU, but that was wishful thinking. If the mission called for it, Sakura could be out in the forest, halfway home by now. On the report, it would be Kakashi’s call to stay for a few hours and rest. It’s funny, he joined ANBU to protect her, but she hasn’t really needed saving. If she were alone with Takahata, he’d still bet on her. But if he could provide some comfort after some intense moments, then it was all worth it. </p><p>~</p><p>“Where’s Haruno?” Ibikki looked up from his desk. </p><p>“Hospital. She needs stitches and blood work done,” they made good time. After getting a couple of hours of rest, Sakura insisted on pressing on until they got home. Closing her wound just enough, but she was still weak and wanted to save her chakra if she could. She was a bit slow, but that was to be expected.</p><p>Ibikki dropped his pen on his desk, “Bloodwork?” Usually, that was reserved if biohazards or disease were involved. </p><p>While it was slightly horrific, he found himself being a little proud of his medic, “He tried to lick her, so she bit off his tongue, she swallowed a lot of blood.”</p><p>“Really?” Kakashi wasn’t sure if he had ever seen Ibikki look shocked before. </p><p>“Yeah,” he nodded his head, “He was a sicko, making Sakura pretend she was pregnant, trying to,” he coughed, not wanting to say it out loud he just gestured his head down, but Ibikki nodded and understood, “with a Kunai,” Kakashi added. He had also never seen him look disgusted. “But she was smart. She was pinned to the wall and goated him to ‘taste her.’ He did, and she broke free. Next thing I know, she spat his tongue out on the floor.”</p><p>“Mentally, how is she holding up?” It was possibly a more important question. Physical injuries heal, and people move on but trauma, that’s hard to recover from. “I read her medical records. I know she lost more than just her daughter in the miscarriage. You said he made her pretend she was pregnant.”</p><p>Kakashi sighed, “Yeah, she was bothered by it, but she didn’t let it compromise her. The only time I saw her visibly upset was after the mission was complete, and we were out of danger. But she bounced back quickly. You were right,” he set his palms down on Ibikki’s desk, “I should have let Sakura into ANBU when you first asked. She’s a natural.” </p><p>“Report in three days from you, five from Sakura. I’ll give you two a week off,” Kakashi started to leave but stopped, “Oh, Hatake,” Ibikki spoke again, “with how much I see you flirt with her, I’d literally watch your tongue.” Kakashi wasn’t going to give his superior the satisfaction, so instead, he just continued to walk away. He wasn’t wrong, though. </p><p>~~</p><p>Eggplant on the stove apartment clean and his mission successful, all he needed now was a pretty girl. There was a knock at the door. “Sakura? What’s up?” There she was in black shorts and a red top. Her face still bruised, and her eyes sunken, on her shoulder, a small bag. </p><p>“Can I stay here tonight?” She almost looked upset. </p><p>“Yeah, is everything okay?” He closed the door behind her and led them to the couch. </p><p>There was a significant groan from her, “I have a concussion, which I made worse by rushing back to Konoha,” she buried her head between her legs, “the doctors said I can’t be by myself tonight, and I don’t want to stay with anyone so can I stay here?”</p><p>The concussion explained some things. She had been spacy on the trip back, and it would explain part of why she was so shaky after. He hit the side of her head hard, not to mention slammed her into the wall. “So am I no one?” she nodded, laying her head against the couch. </p><p>“You just have to check in on me a few times tonight, make sure I don’t die. I probably shouldn’t have slept back in the room either. I’ll make it up to you,” for once, there was no sexual inflection. </p><p>Kakashi got up and made two servings of dinner, “We’re partners. You don’t need to make anything up to me.”</p><p>Sakura sipped some of the soup from the bowl and set it down. But before they could exchange words, Kakashi’s door busted down, “Kakashi! My eternal rival!”</p><p>“Sorry about the door, man, but you’ve been missing for like two weeks now,” Genma walked in behind Guy </p><p>Sakura covered her head and rolled into a ball, the loud noises piercing her. “Shut up,” he glared at both of them, “Sakura has a concussion.”</p><p>The two men looked at each other, realizing what they just did. “Hey Sakura,” Genma came over quietly. Kakashi suddenly feeling a little more protective, “You okay?”</p><p>Quickly Sakura pressed her tattoo against the couch. Usually, close friends and families knew if someone was in ANBU, but besides that, it was a secret. However, she hadn’t told anyone, not yet anyway. “I’m fine,” she lifted her face, the right side with a  patterned bruise, “you should see the other guy.”</p><p>“What happened to her?” He looked to Kakashi. </p><p>Sakura lowered her head again, letting Kakashi speak for her. “Mission, it was a tough one. But you really should see the other guy. She bit his tongue out then stabbed him in the neck.” He saw Guy shudder in his chair. He always did have a weak stomach. Not thinking, Sakura responded with a thumbs up. </p><p>“What’s that?” Genma saw the red mark on her arm. Sakura forgot to lift the arm without the tattoo. </p><p>Sakura realized her mistake and looked up, “I’m in ANBU. Kakashi is my captain.” There was no denying it, and she wasn’t down to talk about it right now. </p><p>“So that’s why you’ve been gone so much,” Guy whispered. </p><p>Kakashi almost told him he didn’t have to whisper, just keep his voice down, but then he remembered Guy only had two settings. “Yeah, we’re a two-man squad. That’s why I’m watching her tonight.”</p><p>“I told you ANBU is shitty. They use and abuse you,” he chewed a little longer on his senbon, “Sorry, you’re an adult, I shouldn’t scold you. Feel better, pinky,” he lightly tapped her shoulder. “Come on, Guy, Sakura needs quiet.” It seemed like the news hurt him, but Kakashi didn’t have time to be worried about Genma’s feelings.</p><p>“Bye, Sakura,” Guy whispered as he wheeled off behind Genma. </p><p>They left and closed the door, “I don’t think Genma’s over you.” </p><p>“No, after the last mission we had together, he asked me on a real date, and I said no,” her head still low. Kakashi went to turn off the lights; he realized they might be making the headache worse. Then he lit a few candles so they could at least see where they were going.</p><p>Kakashi liked Genma, a lot actually, but god was he happy Sakura rejected him. “Ah, well, why don’t you finish dinner, and I’ll get the spare room ready,” he stood up, leaving Sakura alone, the bowl of soup in her hands again. Sakura finished the soup and climbed into bed; there was already a glass of water on the nightstand. It had been years since she slept here. It used to be her refuge from the rest of the world. “Hey, I’m going to go to bed. Need anything?” Kakashi leaned against the doorway. </p><p>“Can I have one of your sweaters?” Kakashi was wearing a crewneck. He pulled it off and handed it to her and not wearing anything underneath, “Cold?” </p><p>She was, but the view was nice too, “Yeah,” she put it over her head, “Thanks.” </p><p>“No problem. Good night Sakura, I’ll check in on you in a couple of hours.” He closed the door, leaving Sakura to drift off to sleep. After two hours, he got up. She was still breathing and moved around when he tried to wake her. It was good enough for him. But before he could check again, he heard screams. “Sakura?” He wasn’t sure if he had ever moved that fast in his life. She was still asleep, writhing around. Whatever she was dreaming about, he had to wake her up. “Sakura,” he shook her shoulders before remembering her concussion. Back up plan, he hugged her, trying to calm her body at least.</p><p>“Sasuke,” she whispered, he could feel tears rolling down her eyes, and she finally started to wake. Clinging on to his neck, Sakura came to. “Kakashi?” she could see his face, but the silver hair was unmistakable. </p><p>“Shh,” he rubbed her back, “You’re okay. It was just a dream.”</p><p>There was no one next to her. She could breathe again, “I kept waking up to him, he was dead. And then I gave birth-” she spoke through her sobs. He hadn’t seen her cry for a few years now. </p><p>Kakashi pulled back, using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe away the tears. He wanted to tell her it wasn't real, but that wasn’t true. It took him back to the days he dreamed of his hand going through Rin’s chest or seeing Obito under that rock. And sometimes, finding the pool of blood his father laid in. They dulled in time but never completely went away. “You’re safe now.”</p><p>Her heartbeat started to return to normal the more confident she became that she was back in reality. “Will you go outside with me?” she sounded so scared and fragile. How could he say no?</p><p>“Okay,” he stood up, grabbing the smaller blanket on the bed in case she got cold. Sakura dug into her bag and pulled something out, hiding it in her fist. Going outside at Kakashi’s place wasn’t just stepping out into the hall. It was climbing out the window onto the roof. But this time, Kakashi insisted he get up first and then pulls her. There was no doubt in Sakura’s mind that she could climb up just fine, but she was too exhausted to argue with him about it. </p><p>The sky was clear. That was the nice thing about the Land of Fire; it was almost always a clear sky; it rarely rained. They sat down next to each other, the blanket on Kakashi’s other side, “Do you mind?” she revealed the pack of cigarettes and lighter in her hand. </p><p>That was a new one, “Since when do you smoke?”</p><p>“Since the nightmares started. I don’t know if it’s the action itself or the nicotine, probably both, but it makes me feel better afterward. So, do you mind?” Her head rested against his arm.</p><p>It should bother him, but it did. Then again, he wasn’t here to judge how she coped. Out of her coping methods, this was the least dangerous. “Be my guest,” he glanced down, “How are your legs?” She was still wearing his sweatshirt, but the bottom half of her pajamas were just shorts. </p><p>“A little cold,” she pulled a cigarette out and lit it, breathing hard on the exhale, “Can I have the blanket?” </p><p>He casted it over the both of them, forcing the two closer together, “Want to talk about your dream? You don’t have to, but sometimes it helps.”</p><p>After another drag, she answered, “I kept waking up next to Sasuke, but he wouldn’t wake up. I tried shaking him, even slapping him, but nothing worked. Finally, I used my chakra and realized his wasn’t flowing. It replayed over and over again. The only time it didn’t, I relieved a somehow bloodier and more traumatic version of my miscarriage. Sarada came out deformed beyond recognition, not the beautiful baby girl I remember.” </p><p>That sounded like a version of hell. No wonder she was looking for ways to numb the pain. “How long?” </p><p>“Since I gave birth. I always came to your house after a bad night. It was nice to get away from my parents, but your place just always made me feel safe. I used to never get nightmares here, and it’s been a while since it was this bad.” She trailed off, clinging to the cigarette. </p><p>Kakashi grabbed the pack and lit one up for himself. He hadn’t since Asuma died, but it seemed like the right thing to do, “Concussions do that. You could have stayed with me every night, you know, I enjoy living alone, but you and Naruto are welcomed here anytime.”</p><p>“So can I stay tomorrow night too?” </p><p>“Of course.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm v stressed about school so I wrote fanfic. Who needs to write a 12-page paper about health policy when I could write out 12 pages of smut (Don't worry after this concussion the sex scene are going to get a lot more fun in this story ;))</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m so sorry,” the smoke filled the air between them. It was the third night in a row she woke up screaming. But that night, she just kept calling apologizes to Sasuke and Sarada. “I’ll get out of your hair tomorrow.”</p><p>He was already kind of out of shape, and the cigarettes probably weren’t helping, but he actually enjoyed their nightly stargazing. Just not the part where she had traumatic dreams. “Absolutely not. I’m not leaving you alone until you have a quiet night. Also, I’m pushing back our mission back a few days. You need some more rest. I’m no medic, but I’d feel better in the field if we did. I have an idea for tomorrow night. You down to try?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she said softly. The idea of pushing the mission back because of her was shitty, but she understood. It was probably for the best.</p><p>The moon was bright and full, “Remember when the moon blew up?” That was a weird week and hopefully a good distraction.</p><p>“I was there,” she glanced up, a smile pushing its way through. “ANBU missions are hard, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think I’ll ever have a mission as weird as that one,” Naruto did most of the work. She just healed him and rescued Hanabi with Sai, weirdly simple for a mission on the moon. </p><p>“Fair. But you know what sucks?” Sakura looked to him for the answer, “I will always be the Hokage who let the moon split in half on his watch. Not really what I expected my legacy to be, but what can you do?” There it was, a laugh out of Sakura, “You ready to talk about tonight’s nightmare?” He asked earlier, but she said no, telling him to ask again later. It was later. “Why were you apologizing?”</p><p>Sakura lit a new cigarette for this one. “When Sasuke came home, he told me he was dying. So we tried for a kid, desperately so. But not in the fun way, in the I resenting having sex with him way. He didn’t force or coerce me, but I had reasoned out that I had to do it. One night we had a huge fight, where I told him he was making me miserable, he went to bed without another word, and the next morning, he was gone.”</p><p>Every layer of what she went through made his heartache for her a little more. “That sucks,” so did that response. </p><p>But silver linings, Sakura started laughing again, “I tell you my dead husband and I got in a huge fight, that never resolved before he died in our bed the next morning and ‘that sucks’ is all you got?”</p><p>“Yup,” he leaned back. Sakura was taking advantage of this to lay her head in his lap, “sorry, I just didn’t know what to say to that.”</p><p>“There isn’t really anything to say, but thanks for a laugh.”</p><p>“So, Sarada?” He ran his fingers through her hair. </p><p>It was hard to smoke in this position, but she liked it too much to move, so she put it out. “Oh, just general apologizes that she died in my body.”</p><p>“Fuck. That’s…” horrifying. </p><p>“Sorry, I know it’s graphic, but I could feel her die as soon as I went into labor. Her chakra just suddenly disappeared. I haven’t even told Tsunade that.” For a while, the two just sat. Kakashi had felt a lot of pain, physical and emotional, but nowhere on his scale could he imagine what Sakura was describing. It must have the single worst moment of her life. No wonder she had no reservations going into ANBU. Nothing could ever be that bad. The pieces of the puzzle that was Sakura were slowly coming together. </p><p>The next night Sakura climbed into bed but was surprised when Kakashi climbed in on the other side. “No funny business,” he pointed his finger at her, although her aggressive flirtation had been lacking with the head injury. “I’m going to tell you something incredibly embarrassing, and if you tell anyone, I will both deny it and disown you in every sense of the word.”</p><p>His tone was eerily serious, “Okay, what is it?” There was no protest from her to share the bed, it actually might work, and she could get a full eight hours. </p><p>“At the worst of my nightmares, it was every night, constantly. The bags under my eyes were insane,” he was on his side facing her, “But one night, Guy convinced me to go on a camping trip. Obviously, I didn’t want to go, so he challenged me to something that I was sure I would win but lost. I fully intended to have to explain my nightmares to Guy, but I slept through the night.”</p><p>Sakura snickered, “That’s sweet. Why would you be embarrassed?” She knew why, but it was fun to watch his face.</p><p>“Anyways, I think having a person nearby helps, might as well try, right?” Sakura smiled and nuzzled herself into his chest. Waking up, screaming every night made it easy to fall asleep, just not stay that way. She was always exhausted. The next thing she knew, the sun was coming out of the window, and she could smell breakfast from the kitchen. </p><p>~~</p><p>It was a huge weight lifted off her. Sleep. Kakashi offered they could do it another night if she wanted. She was so happy he offered. One more night became two, became three. Finally, Kakashi felt comfortable telling Ibikki her sleep was back to normal, although he omitted why. In two days, they would leave. Sakura was at her parents' for dinner, and Anko was making everyone get drinks. As hard as he tried to get out of it, Kurenai told him she got a sitter just for this and that Asuma would want him to go. She played the dead husband card well. Asuma would be proud. “Can we talk about how Kakashi is back in ANBU?” Anko was wasted. </p><p>“Why?” Iruka asked, “You deserve a real retirement.”</p><p>Kakashi just shrugged, “I like the work. Retirement isn’t my style.”</p><p>The group poked at him a little more, mostly how he was an old man compared to most ANBU agents. Guy added that Sakura was his partner on a two-man team, which was supposed to be classified. “Lucky man,” Anko raised a glass, “That girl got hot.”</p><p>Iruka winced, “Come on, Anko, that girl was in my class when she was five, please don’t say that.”</p><p>“Kakashi didn’t react, he knows,” she teased, “I heard she's got quite the body count,” she glanced over to Genma, “Ah to be young.”</p><p>“Shut up, Anko,” Genma rolled his eyes. The night started to die down. Kurenai had to get home for the sitter, and Iruka took Anko home. It was just Guy, Genma, and Kakashi. “Are you fucking Sakura?” Great, now he was drunk too. </p><p>“I’m not fucking Sakura,” which was technically correct. They had sex once, and now he was a glorified security blanket. Not that he minded. </p><p>While Genma had a relieved look on his face, Guy surprised them all, “Why not?” </p><p>“She’s my former student, I’m her captain, I’m way older,” he looked over to Genma, “Sorry. But yeah, that’s why not.”</p><p>“Those are some bad reasons!” Guy declared, slamming his glass on the table, “I find it interesting you didn’t say because you didn’t want to!” He was drunk too. Kakashi hated drinking with his friends because this always happened. </p><p>Kakashi rubbed his temples, “Guy come on; we’re not sleeping together.”</p><p>“Is she at your house now?” Genma’s eyes narrowed. </p><p>“No,” again technically true, he was pretty sure. She had a key now, so who knew. </p><p>“Let’s go over then, right now.” There was some bitterness in his voice, but he was also curious about what was going on. He ultimately cared about the two of them and didn’t like how secretive they were being. </p><p>There was no getting out of it, “Look, Sakura has a key and has been sleeping at my place, in the guest room.” Again, also true, he just neglected to tell them that he had been in bed with her. “And I’m not hiding things from you guys because there’s something to hide, she’s just going through something, and it’s not my place to tell people. We’re close, and I was there for some of it, so I’m a good person to talk to, that’s it.”</p><p>“Is she okay? Like really?” Genma looked desperate for an answer; he could throw him a bone. </p><p>“She’s getting better, and I think, in time, she will be. But before you ask, this isn’t ANBU’s fault. She’s actually thriving there. She’s good.” ANBU was triggering some things for her, but that might be a good thing. It’s too easy to run away from problems. </p><p>Genma nodded, “She is, a little spitfire with her Taijutsu. I don’t know how she got so good.”</p><p>Guy thought for a moment before remembering, “I taught her! Lee and I both did a few years back. Well, Lee, more, I showed up for moral support!” He gave a thumbs up. </p><p>“Why didn’t you tell me?” Kakashi was a bit offended. He would have taught Sakura. Well, maybe he wouldn’t have. A few years ago, he was Hokage and often bailed on plans he made with everyone.</p><p>“Didn’t seem important; every young person should work to better themselves! But she was a quick learner! You should be very proud, Kakashi,” Guy hiccuped after the last words. </p><p>“I am.”</p><p>~~ </p><p>The next morning Kakashi got a summons from Naruto to get Sakura and come to his office immediately. Luckily he didn’t have to go far to get her, but he did feel bad for waking her. One thing he also didn’t miss about ANBU was he couldn’t be late or leisurely to things, so they got there fairly quickly after receiving the summons. “What does he want? We aren’t leaving for a couple of days.” Sakura asked. They were geared up, moving quickly across rooftops. It was early, the sky still dark. </p><p>“I don’t know, but it said urgently, which isn’t good,” both of them slipped into the window of Naruto’s office, “Lord Hokage.”</p><p>Usually, Naruto, despite everything, could put a big smile on his face. It was what made him a good leader. He made people feel safe, even ANBU black ops agents. But it had been a while since either of them saw him this upset. Surround him were Shikamaru and Ibikki, “We have a mission that we have to send you out on immediately,” his voice was cold and hollowed. He was upset. “Our spy network has picked up on rumors of a nine-year-old boy with black hair in a small village walking with his friend through the woods and being attacked by a bandit. The boy’s friend was killed, so the boy killed the bandit but passed out after, a man found them and said the boy’s eyes were glowing red also he wasn’t sure how a small boy could get the upper hand on such a large man.”</p><p>Sakura was glad no one could see her face. It couldn’t be the Sharingan. That was impossible. “We were going to have our spy network observe longer, but the boy’s been kidnapped. We can’t waste any time.” Shikamaru stepped in, “Usually Ibikki assigns ANBU missions based on their skills, but we specifically requested you two. No one in this village knows more about the Sharingan.”</p><p>“However, I agree,” Ibikki finally spoke, “We don’t know what state we’ll find this boy in, or his Sharingan. A former user and widow of the last Uchiha are the logical choice,” Naruto and Kakashi winced at the word widow, “but Sakura, can you handle this mission?”</p><p>Ibikki was never one to mince words just to spare feelings, especially not with his agents. “Ibikki,” Naruto interjected, more offended by the question than anyone.</p><p>“Lord Hokage,” Sakura spoke softly, “It’s okay. Yes, sir, I can handle it.”</p><p>Their commander smiled, “Good. Here,” he handed them a map, “we believe the boy is in this town, but we’re unsure where. You’ll have to dig that information up. Please head out immediately.”</p><p>“Understood,” both of them lowered their heads before disappearing. Both of them always had a bag packed for missions like this, where they had to leave with no notice. After grabbing them, they left.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope everyone's having a good week :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wrote a one-shot that's a medieval Kakasaku story if y'all are interested.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They never talked a ton while traveling, always trying to get there as quickly as possible, but this time Kakashi just knew she didn’t want to speak. She was upset. He understood why, but she was becoming a good soldier, so she pressed on. Finally, they got as far as they could for the night. Sakura didn’t want to stop, but technically Kakashi was in charge, and he put his foot down that they needed to eat and get at least a few hours of sleep. Sakura reluctantly agreed. They started a fire and sat again in silence. After Sakura finished, she pulled her knees close to her, staring into the fire.  “What are you thinking about?” Kakashi asked, finishing his food.</p><p>“Tell me stories from when you were in ANBU,” her eyes then intensely focused on him, “what should I expect?” </p><p>“Well, the past two missions, they were easy,” he sighed. She needed to know what they were getting into, how bad it could get. “I was nineteen, and there was an assassination tip on some actress. But this is when ANBU was susceptible to bribes, so I got stuck on detail. If I found the assassin, I was supposed to kill on sight. I found her; she was a girl, twelve, thirteen—either way, too young to be on a mission like this alone. I tried not to kill her, but she wouldn’t give up,” his voice was soft and detached. “When the third Hokage made me a teacher, I refused female students at first. Every time I saw a teenage girl, I just saw her face and what it looked like when my sword went through her. The missions followed me for almost a decade. You were the first and only.”</p><p>“Were you upset to see my name?” </p><p>“At first I was,” he admitted, “But I looked closer. You were smart, and I knew I would have a handful with a jinchuuriki and the last Uchiha, so I took a chance. It’s not like I was much of a teacher, though, at least to you.”</p><p>“No, you weren’t,” she sighed. “I’m trying to run everything through my head. I don’t think this mission is going to end well.” </p><p>The response to the teacher comment stung a little, but she was right, on both accounts. “Probably not. Let me teach you something now though, you keep thinking about the worst-case scenario, but I also want you to think about how it’s going to feel to push through it and finish the mission. In ANBU, our missions rarely have a clear and satisfying goal. We’re thrown into impossible situations, and all we can do is our best. But your best has to be the best. Does that make sense?” </p><p>“Yeah,” she looked back at the fire, “thanks for telling me.”</p><p>Apparently, they weren’t going to address the possibility of the Sharingan still being alive tonight, which was fine. She probably wasn’t even sure how to feel about it yet. “I’m going to take the first shift. You get some rest.”</p><p>“Okay,” she stood up to grab her bag that she was using as a pillow.</p><p>Something else was bugging him, but he wasn’t sure if he should bring it up. “Hey,” but he started speaking anyway, “I’m sorry Ibikki was an ass this morning.”</p><p>The bag dropped, and she after it. “Don’t be. It’s a fair question, But I’m not the widow of the last Uchiha. I’m the widow of an Uchiha. I killed the last one.” </p><p>It took a second for Kakashi to realize what she meant but looked at her horrified once he did. Her eyes were getting heavy, “Is that what you think?”</p><p>“Sometimes,” she yawned, “No more talking, I’m going to get some sleep.”</p><p>Luckily the night was quiet, which was good because Kakashi was very distracted. He was there that day. That much physical and emotional trauma in one day could mess a person up, but he realized there was a whole other level to it. She felt responsible for the death of the Uchiha clan, the last wish, and her husband's dream was to rebuild it, and in her eyes, she failed him. It was something he hadn’t even considered; it was so absurd. But guilt and loss made people irrational. The whole realization made it harder to wake her up for his shift, he ended up giving her an extra hour, but he was starting to fall asleep. </p><p>Hours later, Sakura woke him up. They ate a quick breakfast and left. This time Sakura was in front. Kakashi didn’t want to let her out of his sight. The village was small, with only three roads, each one more elevated than the last. There wouldn’t be a lot of places to hide, which was good. Usually, they would change into their civilian clothes to ask questions. People weren’t very forthcoming with ANBU, but they were coming to help these people find a child and save him. Looking professional might be more comforting. The first stop was the boy’s mother’s house. The father died years ago, and she had another son, sixteen. As they stepped towards the house, they heard arguing, loud arguing, so Kakashi slowly opened the door and peered through.</p><p>“I’m going to go get him myself!” The boy was looking back at his mother and walked into Kakashi’s armor. “Who are you?” he jumped back. </p><p>“My name is Bito. This is my partner Aki. The seventh Hokage sent us to retrieve your son. Do you have any leads on where we might find them?” Behind the boy was a scared older woman; she looked like she had been crying. </p><p>The kid was pissed, “I’ll take you to him!”</p><p>“Tano!” His mother cried, “You will do no such thing.”</p><p>“No, he’s my little brother! I have to.” Sakura slipped past her captain and touched a finger to his forehead, he dropped, but she caught him. His mother ran up, “He’s okay,” she reassured, “he’s asleep. It’ll last a few hours, or until you try to wake him up” she carefully carried him to the couch. “Do you know where your son is?”</p><p>Kakashi had no idea she could do that; her medical jutsu had improved since the war. “He’s being held in an abandoned barn a few miles into the woods. One of Tano’s friends came across it yesterday while the town was looking for him. But it was surrounded by mob members. We found out last night. There’s no guarantee that’s where Kyoo is,” tears started to roll, “there’s no other place he could be.”</p><p>“I think you’re right. We’ll head over there immediately. Do you have a map or could you draw us one? Doesn’t have to be perfect.” Kakashi tried to sound as kind as possible. The poor woman was trying to hold it together for her other son but was obviously cracking. The woman nodded, and she started drawing one up. It was pretty good; she was talented, especially considering she made this up so quickly under stress. “Thank you, we’ll report back to you.” The pair started to leave but were stopped by the words of the mother.</p><p>“He’s not alive,” she was meek, destroyed. “His father said it was important to hide the boys if their eyes became like him. It was too dangerous to keep them alive.”</p><p>“Their father had the same eyes?” Sakura asked at the doorway.</p><p>She nodded, “My husband was a freelance ninja. He fled the village because of the Mizukage. His eyes were special, so he kept it hidden. We hoped my civilian genes might repress the eyes, but Tano was born with them. So he taught Tano how to use them properly and to keep them hidden. Kyo was born normally, though,” she covered her mouth, “after it awoke, we told him to keep it a secret, but he’s ten… they kidnapped him. I tried to stop them,” she lifted her shirt just enough to show a giant bruise that covered her abdomen. “Tano was at the market, he blamed himself, but I think they were waiting for him to leave.”</p><p>The boy was quite fit for his age, gang members could have killed him if he put up a struggle, but he was probably capable of taking at least one of them down with him. Picking off the weaker boy would be less troublesome. “What did these eyes do?” As far as Kakashi knew, there was nothing close to the Sharingan there in the Mist. </p><p>“He said it was like time slowed down. He would move slowly while it was activated, see what was coming. I never did quite understand,” he smiled slightly, “My husband passed from cancer a few years back.”</p><p>“I’m sorry for your loss,” Sakura lowered her head towards her. He understood why Ibikki asked if she’d be okay with this mission. It was his way of telling her it would be hard, in more ways than physically. “Thank you for telling us. We’ll do our best to get him back to you.”</p><p>It wasn’t the Sharingan. It was just red. Which was a relief to him, but he could sense Sakura was disappointed, but she was also determined to help that mother. This would undoubtedly be an interesting mission. The barn was easy to find because of the map, and it was certainly suspicious. They didn’t count on the spy network being so vast and efficient. Something was bothering Kakashi, though. How did thugs know how to deal with visual Jutsu? </p><p>There were two guys at the door. Without even looking at each other, they snuck around and took them out silently at the same time so they couldn’t warn anyone. The door had a massive lock on it. There were no windows, either. Kakashi started to look for a key on the guards, but Sakura crushed the lock in her hand before he could find it. Sometimes he forgot how strong she was. The two looked at each other and nodded before heading it. In ANBU, the best route was quiet and covert, but it was unavoidable in some situations. You had to go in full throttle. But they were both fast. Quickly taking out their first targets, Sakura’s movements were more erratic than usual. She was mad. It concerned Kakashi a little. Sometimes anger could give a shinobi superhuman abilities, but other times it was a recipe for disaster. He would have to trust Sakura. </p><p>However, she was quickly relieving his worries. She was certainly more flexible than him. When he dodged attacks, his movements were quick and sudden before going on the offensive. But Sakura flowed between attacks and defense, all one solid motion; she didn’t stop. It was almost pretty, except for when she stabbed two different men’s throat at the same time. That was brutal. God, she was hot. They were in sync enough to help each other, which was nice, Sakura throwing one guy into another who was coming at Kakashi in his blind spot. Kakashi hit others with his purple lighting so she could focus if one of the guys were giving her trouble. </p><p>Finally, they reached the back of the barn. There was a door that Sakura kicked down. The boy was lying still on the stretcher, with a man standing over him and a bigger man next to him, “Leaf ANBU, huh?” The man stepped closer to them, “It’s taken me years to find these eyes,” he cracked his knuckles. It was too close-quartered to use ninjutsu safely. He wasn’t sure if the boy was still alive. The man came at them. Sakura jumped, using the man’s head as a springboard to get to the boy. Kakashi saw him try to grab her but stopped him with his sword, slicing his hand. He was definitely a ninja, the way he moved and used his chakra, a jonin, not S-ranked but still good. He was also careful, though, to transplant the eyes; he needed a medical ninja. On that, Sakura had already killed, slitting his throat while Kakashi had him distracted. </p><p>Sakura slammed the table, which caught both men's attention, the enemy turned, but before he could say or do anything, he started punching the air. She trapped him in a genjutsu. Her sword swung out, something she didn’t use often, and stabbed the man in the chest, the blade going through his chest into the ground. Snapping out of his genjutsu, he spat, “you bitch.”</p><p>Kakashi’s sword followed although it didn’t go as deep as hers. “Watch your mouth,” he coughed, spitting up blood. </p><p>“You killed him. You could have taken his eyes without killing him,” she yelled.</p><p>He laughed, “Where’s the fun in that dollface?”</p><p>Luckily they didn’t have to keep this guy alive, nor did Kakashi have a desire to. Sakura was ready to kill; she took two Kunai out, sticking one in each of his eyes, slowly gouging his eyes out while he screamed, “You’re right. This is fun.”</p><p>There had been plenty of times since they teamed up that she had been violent, cruel, and cold. But it was usually provoked by someone attacking her. This was a bit overkill, even for him, but he wasn’t going to stop her, “Come on,” he grabbed her shoulder as she pulled the second eye out. Kakashi pulled the swords out of his stomach, letting him bleed out. “Let’s get the boy’s body back.” </p><p>“Hold on,” She ran up to Kyo and took her mask off, her hands glowing green. His body was bruised and beaten. The kid went through the wringer while he was here. “I won’t send him back to his mother like this,” the bruises and cuts started to heal, “if she asks, his death was quick and painless.”</p><p>“Yeah,” he said softly, taking his mask off too. Missions that involved kids never ended well. Sakura put his eyes back in and kissed his forehead before Kakashi cradled him in his arms, carrying him out. Their masks went back on their face as they headed back to the village. </p><p>What broke their hearts is seeing his mother and brother, outside of their house, at first smiling because they thought Kyo was finally home. But the closer they got, the more horrified they looked before the boy’s mother crashed onto the floor, sobbing. </p><p>Both of them wanted to apologize profusely but couldn’t muster a word. Tano screamed at both of them to leave, so they did.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Personally, after this chapter I think this story gets more interesting... also way more sex scenes. Like way more. So stay tuned. See you guys after finals!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kakashi had to contact Konoha and tell them what happened and what to do next. On their way to the town’s only payphone, at the edge of town, they were stopped by an old man, “I heard Ichiraku has the worst ramen.”</p><p>It was code for higher-ups in Konoha, like a password to know who you could trust. Shikamaru came up with the phrase, Naruto was pissed, but it was too late to change it. The two followed the man to a cabin. He was the one who found the boy. When some older ninja retired, they liked to retire to the country, though they stayed connected as part of the spy network, less active than younger spies, they kept their ear to the ground in smaller towns and offered support. Usually, they never reported or did anything but every once in a while, and there was a huge payoff like this. “I’ll make arrangements with Konoha and the next town to look at the body. I’m going to visit the family, I know them well, but I need you two to stay in town, close by if you don’t mind. I’m worried about Tano. There’s a room waiting for you at the inn,” he handed them a key, “it’s on the street directly above their house, so if something happens, you’ll be right there. I’ll stay the night in their guest room too. I’m afraid my taijutsu isn’t what it used to be, but luckily I’m a genjutsu user.” He smiled, “You ANBU are still so quiet,” he walked them all outside. </p><p>“Sorry, sir,” Kakashi finally spoke. Usually, he would have talked a little more, but seeing a dead kid today put him in a weird place. He just wanted to be done with this mission. Sakura was in a similar boat. “Everyone who was involved with his kidnapping is now dead, but we’ll stay close by until we can figure out what to do.” He lowered his head, “Thank you for the accommodations.”</p><p>The old man lifted his sleeve showing an ANBU tattoo, “No problem, I always appreciated missions where I got to sleep in a bed after.” The man walked away, heading towards the family’s house. </p><p>He was right, though. Not having to sleep in the forest after a day like this was heaven. The old man hooked it up too. Curry and rice were waiting for them on the table. Apparently, the ANBU rations have always been terrible, and the geezer didn’t want to make them suffer more than they already had. Sakura went straight to take a shower. It was the only other room, so when she came out in only a towel again, she took it off and changed into her ANBU undershirt and panties. “You don’t have any scars,” he squinted, “I’ve seen you stabbed multiple times. How did you do that?” It wasn’t that her scars were even faded. There were literally no imperfections. </p><p>“Medical Jutsu.” She sat on the bed, “Kunoichi regularly get their cars fixed, so they're no longer visible, especially if they do a lot of undercover missions. Men don’t like a woman covered in scars.” It wasn’t a big deal, but sometimes she was jealous of her guy friends showing off their scars, telling the story behind it. </p><p>“Some men,” now that he thought about it, all the kunoichi he had ever slept with didn’t have scars either except Anko. But he did like them, for the same reason he liked his own. They reminded him how much stronger he was. “Here,” he fixed her a bowl of food, “I’m going to shower.” When he came out, he put on his pants but neglected a shirt for now, too lazy to pick it up. The bowl he gave her earlier was on the nightstand. She hadn’t touched it.  </p><p>It had been a rough day, but she needed to eat, “You okay?” </p><p>“Yeah,” her tone was harsh, “I’m fine.” She did not sound fine. </p><p>Kakashi shook his head, trying not to feed into whatever was going on with her, “Yeah, okay, just make sure you eat something.”</p><p>“Don’t tell me what to do. I’m an adult now, Kakashi. I don’t have to listen to you.” Now there was glaring. </p><p>“Actually, you do. I’m your captain. I think you forget that I respect and listen to your input, but I’m ultimately responsible for us. Now please eat something you haven’t since breakfast, and you expended a lot of energy. I don’t think anyone is going to come for Tano, especially tonight, but if they do, you’ll be in a better condition to fight if you eat.” He hated the captain card, but she can’t endanger the mission with some weird hunger strike, and he wasn’t feeling extraordinarily patient tonight. Sakura grabbed the bowl and put a spoonful in her mouth, still glaring. “Look, today was a rough day, but can we not do this?” He should have just shut up. </p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Nevermind,” he shook his head. </p><p>She set the bowl back down, “What?”</p><p>Maybe if he didn’t go too far, he could sleep outside tonight, “I’m not in the mood Sakura, tell me why you’re mad at me, I’ll apologize, then I’m going to bed.” </p><p>He knew that would piss her off more, but now he was getting mad. She was acting like more of a brat than she did when she was a kid. “Because you asked if I’m okay like I’m some weak little girl, but I’m not!”</p><p>Kakashi’s eyes widened. He wasn’t expecting that. “I don’t think you're weak. I asked if you were okay because I’m your partner and friend and today was rough on me, so I figured it might be on you. I’m sorry, let’s just get some sleep.” As he went to the other side of the bed, Sakura moved to the floor, “Why are you acting like this?” Kurenai once told him that acknowledging bad behavior was the same as rewarding it. In regards to Naruto when he was a kid, but it seemed to apply here too. “Do you have this much of a complex about feeling weak?”</p><p>“Just go to sleep,” she faced away from the bed, curling up. Every bit of her wanted to stop being angry, stop directing it towards him, but she couldn’t stop. </p><p>“Sakura, the wood floor is going to be more uncomfortable than the forest. Stop being stubborn. Tell me what’s going on, and come to bed,” he groaned against his pillow. </p><p>Sakura turned back around, “Nothing is wrong. Stop bothering me.”</p><p>She had a point; he was kind of perpetuating this. If she wanted to sleep on the floor, that was her choice. If she wanted to be pissed, he should let it go, but for some reason, he couldn’t. Kakashi stood up, “just take the bed,” he grabbed a pillow and the top blanket. </p><p>“Oh my god,” she stood up, “What is your deal? I don’t have a concussion, and I’m not a kid. You don’t have to take care of me.” The worst part is she knew how irrational she was being. The past week and a half, he did a lot more than take care of her. It was perfectly natural to feel a little protective. </p><p>“Okay, you know what?” He tossed the pillow and blanket back on the bed, “Just because we were friends before ANBU doesn’t mean you can talk to me like this, especially on a mission. Know your place Haruno.”</p><p>“I think you lost your authority when you slept with me on the first mission,” her inner voice was screaming at her to stop. </p><p>“You want to talk about that? Okay, let’s talk about that,” It had been a while since he lost his cool like this, “Ever since then, you’ve been parading around me naked, making sexual innuendos and practically begging me to fuck you again.”</p><p>Sakura had lost her cool earlier today when she gouged out a guy’s eyes, and she felt the urge again. “Don’t pretend you didn’t love it or that you don’t flirt back. Also, I don’t beg you; you just wish I did because every time you see my body, that little head of yours,” she pointed down, “starts thinking for you,” she stepped closer, “sound about right?”</p><p>Earlier today, he stabbed a man who called her a bitch. Maybe he was too harsh. But he was having trouble coming up with a response because it did sound right. “Maybe! But I can’t sleep with you!” he felt like a vein in his head was about to pop. </p><p>Hands-on her hips, Sakura moved closer to him, “You know if you just said you didn’t want to sleep with me, that’s fine! But don’t say you can’t! There’s literally no reason you can’t.” </p><p>“The only reason I’m not sleeping with you is that I joined ANBU to protect you, but you obviously don’t need it!” Both of them got quiet, staring each other down. He could see Sakura’s brain racing to figure out how to respond. </p><p>Before he could say anything else, she grabbed the back of his head, pulling him down to her lips. “I don’t,” she whispered back. </p><p>No, she didn’t. Not physically, but after watching her gouge out a man’s eyes, he was more concerned about how she was psychologically. But it wasn’t fair to either of them. She was an adult and strong, she didn’t need a protector, and honestly, he didn’t really want to be one. He was happy just being her friend, and kissing her, kissing her was nice. “I know, I’m sorry,” he said quickly, not wanting to pull from her lips too long, “I’ll make it up to you.” He picked her up and threw her on the bed on her back. Impatiently instead of just pulling her panties off, she ripped them, promising he would owe her a new pair. The way her legs moved against each other, her shirt riding up, breast peeking out from underneath. Then there were her eyes, that despite the fact she could quite literally break him if she wanted to, told him that she was entirely his right now. </p><p>He fell on top of her pinning her against the bed. He could feel her wrists struggle and smirk when she realized she couldn’t get out without chakra, “still mad at me?”</p><p>“Yeah,” he started sucking on her neck. He liked how it made her move underneath him, “You’re acting like a spoiled brat but,” his mouth trailed down to the top of her shirt, he pulled it down and circled the top of her nipple with his tongue, “I did also promise last time I’d take care of you, and I never did.” His free hand moved down to her slit that he skimmed with his fingers, refusing to commit to her pleasure just yet. “Maybe you just need a good fuck Haruno.”</p><p>All he had done was play with her breast and tease her clit, but Sakura had never felt so in heat before. Usually, she was the dominant one, and happily so, her male partners did whatever she wanted, when she wanted. Kakashi was going to have none of that. He was her superior, after all. But that didn’t mean Sakura was going to make it easy for him, “And you think you can give me- fuck!” She felt two of his fingers dig inside her.</p><p>With his fingers still inside her, his thumb started circling her clit, “I don’t think you’re in a position to antagonize me Sakura,” His face was calm as it usually was, but his eyes were piercing. She wasn’t sure if he was mad or horny, but either way, she was excited. “Now it’s been a long day, and I’m very tired, so if you’re a good girl for me, I’ll give you a treat,” he softly kissed her, “but if you’re not,” he trusted the fingers inside her harder, “I’m going to make you regret it.”</p><p>Sakura wasn’t sure what option intrigued her more. Whatever this treat was, there’s no way it wouldn’t feel amazing. But she wasn’t sure if she wanted to feel amazing tonight. The day made her angry and upset. Her adrenaline still hadn’t worn off completely. She wanted to not feel at all. Using some of her chakra, she broke up hands out of Kakashi’s grip, grabbing the back of his head. “I’m not a good girl Kakashi.” </p><p>This wasn’t the first time he was in this position. A hand on the back of his head, his hand holding on to her shoulder close to her neck. However, this was generally in a fight, and his fingers weren’t inside them. Also, last time it was against Itachi. Quickly Kakashi moved out of her grip and pinned her back in the position he had her in before, this time though pressing her harder into the bed. He took his fingers out and had her watch him lick them clean. Using that hand, he pulled down his sweats and shoved his cock inside, “I’ve been in ANBU a long time Sakura,” he now had one hand on each of her arms, “And I have never had such a disrespectful, disobedient, agent below me. You think you can do whatever you want, kill whoever you want,” She was trying to hide the signs of pleasures with her disdain for being lectured but doing a poor job, “You can’t just torture a guy in the middle of a mission because you have some bone to pick with the world. It’ll get you killed someday.”</p><p>Sakura broke free again, throwing her hands on his back, raking her nails down it pulling him closer. He winced as she did, “then why did you stop me?”</p><p>“I shouldn’t have to,” his breath heavy, “You need to be smarter. I know you have a death wish, but you can’t jeopardize the mission.” Maybe he still wasn’t over the argument they just had. </p><p>She looked pissed at his last comment. Which, to be fair, maybe went a little far, “I don’t. I complete the mission every time,” she spat.</p><p>Angry sex was nothing new to Kakashi. Granted, not for a while. Being Hokage was a stressful tedious job, but it never made him angry, but when he used to, it was because he was mad at the world or himself. Never had he been so upset with who he fucking, “Don’t get cocky,” he pulled out and flipped her over. “You’re good, Sakura,” he could feel her legs shake between thrusts, “but you’re not a god. You have limits and weaknesses. Every time you do something stupid or unnecessary on a mission, you expose them.”</p><p>Her moans were getting louder; he wasn’t sure if she had even heard him at this point. “Kakashi,” her tone much less, combative, “I think I’m going to cum.”</p><p>“You must have been desperate if you’re going to finish this quickly,” he teased. “Do it then,” he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “But if I let you, I don’t want to hear that bratty attitude anymore. Understand me?”</p><p>“Yes,” she choked, taking in the last of his thrusts before falling forward. “Fuck,” she sat up. Kakashi moved into a more comfortable position. “Do you want me to?” She looked over at him, his cock still hard. </p><p>He shook his head, “It’s fine,” that was probably the more intense sex he had ever had, albeit short, but it felt good, really good. But he wasn’t sure if it was what he’d call fun, but maybe it was because he was also exhausted. “We should get some sleep,” He pulled the blankets over him, “Good night.” Not the most mature way to end the night on his part, but maybe it was his turn to act like a child. ANBU did weird things to people. It made them better ninjas, no doubt about it, but it took its toll on a person mentally. It was already starting for both of them, and it was probably going to get worse, or at least that’s what he thought.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Lowkey, I have to be on a train in an hour and a half and haven't even pack yet but KakaSaku seemed more important. From here on out I would expect a sex scene of some sorts in most chapters. Also, I think their relationship gets more fun to write going forward so that's what you have to look forward to. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first time Kakashi had sex, he was thirteen. Rin was mad at him because he had been avoiding her, but he didn’t know what else to do. He swore to protect her, but she was also in love with him. So one day, she showed up at his house, crying about how she never saw him anymore, that she already lost Obito and didn’t want to lose him too. No matter what he did, hug her, make her tea, or tell her she hadn’t lost him, it didn’t work. This wasn’t just because she missed him. He suspected she had been holding in whatever she was feeling for a long time now. Out of ideas, he tried something he had only ever seen in a picture of his parents taken before he was born. It was simple, just a kiss on her forehead, but it worked. Rin looked up, confused but at least not as sad. And from there a real kiss, and another kiss, and a longer one after that. Neither of them knew exactly what was going on, but the next thing they knew, they were naked lying next to each other. But that’s what happens when two traumatized teenagers find comfort in each other. </p><p>It was emotional for both of them. They cared for each other, but also they felt so guilty after. Even Rin, who was in love with him, admitted something didn’t feel right, to which Kakashi agreed. So she left, but not before making Kakashi promise that he would hang out with her, outside of missions, at least once a week. It never happened again. She died a few months later. Since then, there had been one night stands and flings, once a lover, but nothing this intense. He had never been so drained emotionally and physically than when he went to bed last night.</p><p>She was cute when she was asleep though, quiet and still, it was a fleeting memory of the girl he used to know. Sometimes he missed that girl. Bloody noses over shirtless men, a disdain for death and torture, excitement about her life. But he also liked who she was now, more confident and mature, as she should be in her late twenties, but it still made him sad that along the way, the world had made so callus and cold. Broken. </p><p>It was still early, but he wasn’t sure what mood she would wake up in, so he figured he would get up and have some peace and quiet. He put his ANBU gear on and left a note on the side of the bed telling Sakura he was going to hang out by the house and make sure everything was okay. Usually, he didn’t have a chance on ANBU missions to read, but if nothing happened last night, nothing was going to happen today. He could probably squeeze a chapter in before anyone even woke up. Maybe not though, stepping out of the room, he looked down at the top of the house. Tano was sitting on the roof, sketching something in a notebook. “You should stay inside, kid,” he dropped down behind him.</p><p>“Or what? Your girlfriend is going to put me in a coma again?” Tano snapped back. </p><p>Kakashi sat down next to him, “I’m sorry about that. She only did it to keep you safe, though. Can I ask what you’re drawing?” He peered over. It was Kyo with an older man next to him, must be the boy’s father, it was good though. “Quite the artist.”</p><p>“What was the point of asking if you were just going to look?” He grabbed the paper and held it against his chest. </p><p>It had been a while since he had to deal with an angry teenager, “Sorry, shinobi are naturally curious. It’s good. Your mom will like it.”</p><p>“Yeah,” he looked away, “Did Kyo suffer?” </p><p>“No,” he was thankful Sakura thought to heal him before bringing him back. She was a good medic. </p><p>“I don’t believe you.” He looked back at his drawing, “but thanks for lying,” he looked out at the other houses in the village, “the old man wants us to move to Konoha. Is that true?”</p><p>He was quiet for a moment, “Yeah, you, your mom, and this village will be safer that way. We can also teach you to have better control over your eyes.”</p><p>“But what if I don’t want to leave?” Kakashi noticed he fixed his sights on one house in particular, “I’ve already lost so much, I don’t want to lose my home too, my friends.”</p><p>Being Hokage turned him into basically a grandfather. Being ANBU, even for a month, was slowly turning him into a traumatized wreck, but right now, he felt like a teacher again, “What’s her name? Or his, I don’t judge.” </p><p>The kid just glared, “Mako. She’s my best friend, but I haven’t told her yet,” he flipped to another page in his sketchbook. The girl had long hair and a beauty mark right below her eye, “what if I leave and never see her again?”</p><p>“Well, come to Konoha, train as a shinobi, and come back for her. Girls love ninjas,” he saw the kid crack a smile. “I know it sucks to leave, but it’s best for everyone.”</p><p>“God,” he put his head down, “My little brother died yesterday, and I’m worried about some girl. I’m a shitty brother.”</p><p>“No, you’re not. Your brain is trying to protect you. Let it. It’s important to remember the people you’ve lost, but you can’t let it consume you. You still have to live; Kyo would want you to.” Kakashi grabbed two bells out of his pocket, “You don’t have to become a ninja if you don’t want to, but if you do, show these to the Hokage, okay? I can’t reveal my face right now to you but show these to him, and he’ll know who gave them to you. I’ll train you.”</p><p>The kid looked at the bells, “So girls really like ninjas?”</p><p>Why couldn’t any of his students be this wholesome? Well, Sakura used to be. “Yeah, I think it’s the mystery. Think about it, though. It’s a big decision. It shouldn’t be made just because you want to impress a girl. Besides, girls like artists just as much.”</p><p>“Would I be able to protect her, though?” he looked so earnest.</p><p>Again, so wholesome, “Yeah, but be careful, protecting girls can sometimes backfire.” Probably not the most professional advice he had ever given, “Nevermind. Forget that last part. But you should say goodbye to Mako. Might I suggest flowers?”</p><p>The boy agreed and climbed off the roof to find some. “Girls like ninjas, huh?” Sakura stood behind him, her arms crossed. “Does he know you’re the village’s eternal bachelor?”</p><p>“I’m not wrong,” he stood up, “And no, but there’s only one girl I know who doesn’t like flowers,” he teased, dropping off the roof. “Still grumpy, I see?” she followed behind him. They were about to ask the old man if there were any updates on if they could go home. </p><p>Sakura declined to answer. The old man had spoken to Shikamaru. There was a team coming home from a mission, and they would pick up the family on their way back. Kakashi and Sakura just had to wait for them. But Shikamaru didn’t want them to come straight back to the village. He wanted them to visit a village up north, there had been a bad infectious outbreak, and they wanted Sakura’s opinion. </p><p>Once the ninja team showed up, they were able to leave. Luckily the village wasn’t too far away. If they went top speed, they could get there by nightfall. The trip over was silent but not just because they were traveling quickly or things were awkward, they were just mad at each other, and they both knew it. Outside the town, Sakura stopped, “Hold on,” she took off her mask and jacket, “Okay, we’re going to walk in. You can keep the mask on if you want.”</p><p>“We’re here as ANBU. You have to keep the mask on,” he crossed his arms, “That’s an order, Aki.”</p><p>The fact that it was an order just made her want to do it more, but the journey here had given her time to think. She was out of line last night, acting like a child. Everything had just overwhelmed her about the mission from the Sharingan to the mother, to losing that kid. “Look,” she took a breath, “May I ask for an exception? I know we’re here as ANBU, but I’m also here as a doctor. Patients need to trust their doctors, and that’s not going to happen if I wear that mask and vest. It’s too intimidating.”</p><p>“Fine. But if anyone asks, you’re not ANBU. I’m just your escort; we have to maintain some secrecy.” It was a start. </p><p>The village was a ghost town, but they saw a small child come to meet them in the distance, “Are you the doctor?” He asked timidly, trying to avoid eye contact with Kakashi. Maybe she had a point. </p><p>“Yes, I am,” she kneeled down, “I’m doctor Haruno. Don’t worry about him,” she pointed behind her, “he’s just here to keep me safe. What’s your name?”</p><p>“Dai. Are you going to make my mom feel better?” He must have been about ten. Luckily he didn’t look sick. </p><p>Sakura smiled, placing her hand on his shoulder, “Yeah, I am. By the time I leave, everyone is going to feel better. Why don’t you take me to them.”</p><p>The boy smiled and grabbed her hand, leading the two to the school building. Every room was filled with sick people, only tended to by the elderly and some children like Dai. Before Kakashi could take in the devastation, Sakura was already on her knees, tending to her first patient. “I’m Dr. Haruno. Tell me what’s wrong,” her chakra was already flowing into them. She repeated this to every patient in the room, learning each of their names, giving them soft smiles and reassurance. Unfortunately, there were three other rooms. Sakura was able to get through one more, but Kakashi could tell she was weakening. </p><p>“Dr. Haruno is really cool,” Dai came up next to him.</p><p>“Yeah, she really is,” he liked watching her fight, but this was maybe better. It was impressive, she treated them on every level, with both her skills as a medic, but her smile would reassure anyone that everything would be okay. </p><p>The boy handed him an apple, “Gramps told me to offer you something to eat, our village has the best apples. Well, if you like apples,” he stuck his tongue out in disgust. </p><p>“Thanks, kid,” he slipped it into his bag. Dai asked him what was under his mask and didn’t believe Kakashi when he said another mask. Watching Sakura, he noticed her moving slower and spending more time with patients. “Come on,” he offered a hand and helped her up, “You’re going to bed. You’ve expended enough chakra.”</p><p>“I can release my seal,” she protested. </p><p>“No. This isn’t the time or the place for that. It’s late, and we traveled all day, you need sleep, come on,” he urged and felt her finally let up. </p><p>“Okay, there’s one more patient who wasn’t doing well. Let me check on them, talk to the people taking care of everyone, and we can go. I also need to figure out what’s going on with these people. It’s not a common disease,” she looked at the patients, “somethings weird.”</p><p>“How so?” He asked.</p><p>“I’ll tell you later,” she set off to the first room while again using her chakra, giving instructions to the elders. It was kind of hot to see her like this, so in her element, there was no mistaking that Sakura was one of the best in combat, but she was made to be a doctor like Naruto was made to be Hokage. </p><p>As she stood up, he could see her legs wobble, “Okay,” he scooped her up before she fell, “I got you.” The second mission where Kakashi had to carry her like this, it was starting to get embarrassing. “Have you ever considered just not overdoing it?”</p><p>“No,” she smiled back to him. They offered a room in the inn, but the keeper was sick, so they had the place entirely to themselves. Kakashi offered her her own room, but she insisted they share one, she was having trouble moving, and she wanted to monitor him, just in case. “So what did you mean this is different?” He took a bite of his apple from earlier. </p><p>Sakura ate some of their rations, “It’s not a virus, may be bacterial or parasitic, but if either of those are the case, those who got it and those who didn’t would be more random. But the people who weren’t affected are exclusively older people and some younger people. It's strange. I wish I had my books. How do you feel right now?”</p><p>“Fine. You?”</p><p>She shrugged, “I’d be better with a shower, but standing sounds terrible right now. I don’t think I’m sick, though, but we’ll see tomorrow morning.”</p><p>“Let me draw you a bath,” he got up and turned on the tub, “You really like your showers,” he did too, but that always seemed to be the first thing she did when the opportunity presented itself. </p><p>Carefully she got to her feet, “I do, they’re nice, I feel like I’m always sore.”</p><p>Sakura took off her shirt and undid her pants, slipping them off, “It’s because you work out all the time and push yourself way too hard.” He still thought Sakura was hot, but he was desensitized to seeing her naked. </p><p>“Come in with me,” she quickly rinsed herself. </p><p>ANBU was a lot different from when he was in it the first time. But last time, they were rebuilding from a war, plus there was a lot of corruption happening. Now there had been peace for a decade and no sign that was going to change. But maybe it was this two-man team thing. It changed the type of missions they went on. Because before, he would have never had the opportunity to take a nice hot bath with a beautiful girl. She insisted he get in first, and she sat between his legs. “I like your scars.”</p><p>“Thanks, I guess,” he did too, “what brought that up?”</p><p>“Nothing really, I was just thinking about last night,” Inner Sakura was screaming at her just to apologize. </p><p>Last night, it was something. He was still kind of mad at her but was slowly letting it go. “You know,” he kissed her behind her ear, “you really can’t act like you were last night again. It was completely uncalled, and I will tell Ibikki I want you off my squad if it happens again.”</p><p>“Yeah,” she craned her neck to give him more room, “I took the mission too personally. It was unprofessional.”</p><p>“I know,” his hands moved to her waist, “I knew since Shikamaru said Sharingan that you were going to struggle. That’s why I’m letting it go, but don’t make me regret it.” He was probably giving her too many chances, and if he was honest, part of it was because he was sleeping with her, but something about being towards the end of his ninja career made him care way less. </p><p>As he got to where her neck and shoulder met, he bit down and wrapped his hand around her neck, no pressure on it yet. His other hand moved down to her clit that. He started teasing, “You know I asked if you wanted to come in the bath with me with the purest intentions,” she felt his erection pressed against her back. </p><p>“I’m sure you did, sweetheart,” he added a little pressure with his hand, “Tell me you want it, and I’ll give it to you.”</p><p>“I want it,” she squeezed his thigh. </p><p>“Red for stop, yellow for let up. I won’t squeeze so hard that you can’t talk,” he nibbled on her ear, “got it?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she whimpered.</p><p>His grip tightened. It had been forever since she had someone choke her like this. It was what she missed most about Kiba, but he had nothing on Kakashi. Every time she jerked forward from the pleasure coming from her clit swelling, he squeezed a little harder, “come on, darlin’,” his voice got lower, “cum for your captain.” He was enjoying this entirely too much, it pissed her off, but he was earning his cocky attitude. Too distracted to make a comeback, she let out high pitched squeals instead. “I like hearing your cute noises Sakura,” he slipped some of his fingers but made sure to keep attention on her more sensitive areas, “But I need you to say my name,” he squeezed tighter, pressing her against him.</p><p>“Kakashi,” it came out strained with the pressure to her windpipe, “captain.”</p><p>He relieved her neck, “good girl,” he hand moved down to her breast, “Sakura, I’m going to make you cum then we’re going to go to bed. But,” his mouth moved back to her neck, “the journey home is going to take two days. I want to see what your little mouth can do to my cock after we leave, understand?”</p><p>She couldn’t hang on much longer. It used to be a lot harder to make her cum, and it wasn’t like Sasuke, Kiba or Genma were bad in bed and didn’t pay attention to her, quite the opposite, actually. But there was something about Kakashi; he read her body like those damn books of his. He was on a whole other level. “Yes, captain,” she moaned, a wave of ecstasy running up her spine before she relaxed into his chest. </p><p>Kakashi held her close, “You did good today, Sakura.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Girls love ninjas ;) I am girls<br/>No cap I think this is the first time my biology degree had come in handy lol but I'm excited for a little medical mystery. Also apparently I'm into Kakasaku sex scenes in the tub because it's definitely also in my other series but I lowkey forgot about it while writing this so sorry haha<br/>hope y'all are doing well!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thank god for sex, or Sakura would have never gotten to sleep; she had dreams about this medical mystery. When she woke up, it was still early. She felt guilty for enjoying herself when she had patients, but her chakra was drained from yesterday, and the bath and orgasm did help. She looked over at Kakashi, who had stolen all the blankets last night, which was odd because it was pretty warm. “Hey,” she pulled the blanket down enough to see his face. It was sweaty and flushed, “shit,” she felt his forehead. It was definitely a fever. Sakura got a cold rag and took the blankets off, “Kakashi, you have a fever, you need to cool yourself down, or you risk brain damage.”</p><p>He resisted, pulling the blanket back, “I’m so cold.” </p><p>“I know, but I need you to at least keep a cold washcloth on you,” she let him have one blanket and started pouring her chakra into him. He wasn’t as bad as some of the patients at the school, probably because he was in good shape and healthy otherwise, but he was in a lot of pain. “Tell me exactly what you're feeling.”</p><p>“My head hurts, I’m cold, and everything aches. Also, I feel like if I ate something, I’d throw it up immediately,” he groaned, “Are you sick?”</p><p>“No,” she smiled softly, “Just worry about yourself.” How was he so sick already, and she was fine? They slept in the same bed, and if anything, she was more exposed. She would have to go to the school soon, but she could at least leave him with a cold bucket of water. After fetching the water, she sat down at the small table in the room. It was bothering her how sick he was and that she wasn’t. Then it hit her, the apple in the trash next to her. That was the only thing they did differently. He ate an apple. She pulled it out and focused her chakra on it. Parasites. </p><p>There was a knock on the door. Sakura put his under mask on, knowing he wouldn’t want anyone to see his whole face, and opened it. It was Dai. “Dr. Haruno, I just wanted to see when you were coming by the school.” He looked behind her, “Did your friend get sick too?”</p><p>“He did, but I think I know how to cure everyone,” She squatted down to his level, “Dai, will you watch my friend for a little bit?”</p><p>This is what she missed about being a doctor and working in the hospital, the look on Dai’s face when she said she could save everyone. It felt good, “Yeah!” He rushed over to Kakashi’s side. </p><p>Sakura grabbed the apple, “Dai, if anyone offers you an apple, don’t eat it.” She headed out the door. </p><p>“Well, I hate apples, so no problem!” He called out, putting the wet cloth back on Kakashi’s forehead. </p><p>That stopped Sakura, “Interesting,” she muttered before leaving. The town was small, so the doctor’s office was small with not very much equipment, at least compared to Konoha or Suna, but it would have to do. She felt bad breaking in, but the town doctor was in one of the worst conditions. After hours of labor, she finished. Hopefully, this would work. Back at the room at the inn, she used her partner as a guinea pig, “Hey Bito, I need you to try this,” she poured some of the medicine into a glass of water. Be begrudgingly sat up and drank the water before going back to sleep. </p><p>“Did it work?” Dai looked up at her.</p><p>“I don’t know. We’ll have to wait. You stay here, and I want you to come to get me if his condition changes,” she had enough vials to go around if it worked on Kakashi, but she didn’t want to get people’s hopes up. For now, she would just have to relieve their symptoms. </p><p>A few hours passed, and Sakura went outside, getting some air before hitting the next round of patients. When she looked up, her heart fluttered. It was Dai, and behind him, Kakashi, he was pale and tired but definitely better, “It worked!” She ran up and hugged him. He winced but hugged her back, “I can’t believe it worked!”</p><p>“Yeah,” he coughed, “It worked. I’m not completely better, but I’m getting there. Thanks for saving me.” He let her go, “We’re going to talk later about you making me a medical guinea pig.”</p><p>But Sakura had already run back into the school, administering the cure around to the other patients. She explained to the elders that it was a parasite in the apples but because apples were harder for older people to eat, it didn’t affect them, and some picky eater children. Apples were a main export of the village, so she assured them she would send someone more adept in plant disease to help them with their next steps. They stayed another night to let Kakashi rest, but he said he was good enough to go by the next morning. It would talk the other villagers a few more days, but chakra speeded him up with her chakra. She was ready to go home. </p><p>“If you don’t mind me asking, why don’t you work at the hospital anymore? You seemed to really enjoy being a doctor.” It was raining, they had to stick it out since they were far away from any town, but Kakashi found them a cave so they could at least start a fire.</p><p>Sakura pulled her legs close to her chest, “I do like it, but I don’t really work well with others. Every time someone made a mistake or asked a question, I’d snap. Then there was my mental breakdown.”</p><p>“Didn’t hear about that one,” he started eating his rations. </p><p>“Some genin came in. They were hurt really bad, that escort mission a few years back that got ambushed.” Kakashi nodded. He remembered that one because he had to tell a thirteen-year girl’s parents their daughter was dead. “Once we lost that girl, I couldn’t hold it together. I was too unstable to be working in a hospital, so I quit after that. You didn’t know because I swore Shizune to secrecy. The field is better for me.”</p><p>Kakashi felt a lot of guilt. The first couple of years after losing Sasuke and Sarada, she seemed depressed and distant, but he had failed to notice the breakdown, the nightmares. He had convinced himself it wasn’t that bad, but he knew better; it was just easier to pretend otherwise. “Well, you’re good in the field. The Leaf is lucky to have you. So were those people back there.”</p><p>She gave him a forced smile before focusing back on the fire. There was a long silence before Sakura finally spoke, “Do you have feelings for me?”</p><p>After choking and coughing out his food, Kakashi finally responded, “What kind of question is that?” Sakura just glared, “Fine. I mean, I do, but it’s complicated.”</p><p>“How so?”</p><p>“Come on, Sakura. We’ve said we loved each other multiple times over the years. I was one of the first people to comfort you after Sasuke, I held your dead daughter in my hands, and now I’m your ANBU partner. I care about you more than I do for most people, and I know I don’t need to protect you, but I’m still protective of you if that makes sense. So yes, I have feelings for you, but I’m not trying to be your boyfriend if that’s what you're asking.” He was like 95% sure of that answer. “Do you have feelings for me?”</p><p>“I was going to say no, but I think you put it well. I do, just not those feelings. Sorry, I asked, I just don’t want a repeat of the Genma incident,” she stretched and yawned, “I felt bad hurting his feelings.”</p><p>Kakashi nodded, “Well, I’m a lot less sensitive than Genma, and I don’t think I’ll ever want a girlfriend or wife or whatever, so I’m good with what’s going on here.”</p><p>“Is there a difference between close friends who have sex and a boyfriend and girlfriend?” It was an honest question. </p><p>He shrugged, “Haven’t given it much thought. Does it matter, though? I like hanging out with and fighting with you. The sex is pretty great,” he smirked. </p><p>“Why don’t you want a girlfriend or wife?” She ignored his last question. </p><p>“Or whatever,” he corrected. “So nosy tonight,” he shook his head, “Seems like work. I mean, if I have one someday, then I have one, and that’s fine, but for now, I like being able to do whatever I want. Besides, I feel like people only marry to have kids and-” he paused and realized how insensitive that sounded, “sorry.”</p><p>“It’s fine. I don’t care. You’re not wrong, but you’ve never wanted kids?” At first, she started asking questions because she really didn't what happened with Genma to happen with Kakashi, but now she was just fascinated by the insight into her partner. </p><p>He bobbed his head, trying to think, “Once, for a second. I picked Kurenai up for Asuma’s funeral. That’s when she told me she was pregnant. And I don’t know. It just triggered something in me. Because despite the fact we were going to her husband’s funeral, she still had a smile on her face. It made me want that happiness, I guess.” He surprised himself with that confession. But then again regretted telling that to a woman who had lost her child. </p><p>“That’s really beautiful,” she smiled to his relief; she seemed calmed by that answer, “but never again?”</p><p>“Not really. Kids are loud and obnoxious. And,” he smiled, trying to lighten the mood, “If I’m being honest, being your guy’s sensei was all the birth control I needed.”</p><p>“Hey! We weren’t that bad!” She punched his arm. </p><p>“Yes, you were,” he feigned an exasperated sigh, “Naruto and Sasuke were the biggest headaches I’ve ever had. Being their teacher aged me like ten years in the single year I had them. Then there was you,” he pointed. “Okay, you weren’t as bad as the boys, but I was completely lost on how to deal with you. Boy crazy and a sensory type. Never stood a chance.”</p><p>Sakura rolled her eyes, “Are you comparing a twelve-year-old me having a crush and being good at genjutsu to the nine tails and Sasuke betraying the village?” </p><p>“Yes, yes, I am. You were supposed to be the easy one. Well, you were, but you could have been easier,” he teased. </p><p>“You are incredible,” more than a hit of sarcasm in her voice. </p><p>He moved a hand onto her thigh, “Yes, I am. I think you actually believed it last night,” he kissed the top of her cheek. </p><p>“Take off your pants,” she bit her bottom lip, pushing him on the floor. As he undid his belt, Sakura pushed his shirt up, her kisses following the X shaped scar he still had from the war. She moved down to the trail of silver hair that led below his waist. It was too large to take all of it at once, so she started at the tip paying special attention to it with her tongue, and held the base of his shaft in her hand. Slowly she started stroking it. </p><p>Kakashi reached out and touched her cheek, “God, you’re hot,” he cocked his head back. Finally, she started taking him in. He could tell it was hard to open her mouth enough to fit around him. Every time she moved down, she gagged, and he could feel the light brush of her teeth against him. It made it hotter that she was struggling, “Not too big, is it?” </p><p>She pulled her mouth up and sucked hard at the tip, causing him to forget his own name for a second. “No, captain,” there was spit running down her chin, “I can take it.” Every time she went down, he hit the back of her throat, and it was only half his cock. She knew it was big. She had felt it inside her many times but taking him like this was a whole other story. </p><p>“Good girl,” he ran his fingers through her hair, grabbing her roots. Blowjobs were always lost on him. It was hard to find someone who could take it all, and while Sakura was no exception, he had never enjoyed watching someone try so much. “Show your captain how tough you are,” he goaded. If there was one thing, Sakura loved it was a challenge. </p><p>Sakura closed her eyes, bobbing her head as fast as she could, but it didn’t last long before she had to take a break. A blow job had never made her jaw hurt before. But she owed him for last night and didn’t like to be in people’s debt, so she slipped off her pants and sat on top of him. “I’m sorry my mouth is too small,” she lifted herself up and down, using his shoulders as leverage, “Let me get your cock nice and wet, and I’ll try again.”</p><p>Kakashi grabbed her waist, “But you were so cute every time you gagged,” he nipped her shoulder. “May I ask what I did to deserve such special treatment?” He flinched, feeling her nails dig into his back, “I’ll take that as a no.” He returned the favor digging into her side, matching her movements to get as deep inside of her as possible. </p><p>“Has anyone,” she moaned between her words, losing her place, “Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?”</p><p>“Everyone I’ve ever met,” Getting the blowjob had worked him up more than he cared to admit, “So is that second blow job still on the table?” He felt conflicted asking. There was nothing he loved more than fucking Sakura, but watching her take his cock really did things to him, things we couldn’t quite explain. </p><p>Sakura slowed herself and smirked, “Yes, captain.” She pushed him down to the ground and got up, fitting herself between his legs on her knees, trying to avoid getting too much dirt on her. Poor Kakashi wasn’t so lucky. She could taste herself, not that she minded.</p><p>Neither did Kakashi, knowing that she tasted herself on him, made this blow job even better. He threaded his fingers through her hair. Sitting back up, he pushed and pulled her head as she did. “You’re such a good girl,” his voice becoming gruffer, “gag again for me.” Ever so obedient, well sometimes, Sakura obliged, forcing him down a little more. Making the noise that he apparently loved so much. “Fuck Sakura, I’m going to cum,” he let go of her hair to let her off of him. </p><p>But Sakura had other plans, glancing up to him, a smile in her eyes as she continued. God, this was the girl of his dreams. The closer he got, the higher-pitched his noises were, which Sakura thought was very amusing. When he wasn’t playing the big bad captain, he could sound as desperate for a release as she did most times. Again she felt his hand on her head, but he didn’t push this time, she tasted him, this was the first time she had, and it was surprisingly good. As she swallowed, she lifted her head. Kakashi had fallen onto his back again. “You know you’re probably covered in dirt.”</p><p>“I am,” he sighed, still not wanting to get up, “Well, be back in Konoha tomorrow, don’t care.”</p><p>Sakura just chuckled, finding her own pants, “We’re even now, though.”</p><p>Standing up and finding his own clothes, he narrowed his eyes, “Even?”</p><p>“For last night.”</p><p>Kakashi rolled his eyes, “So competitive. It’s not like I’m keeping score. Besides,” he walked over, his pants now on but still shirtless, “Making you cum is fun,” he kissed her lightly. “Let’s get some sleep.”</p><p>While Sakura resented his last comment, she also was exhausted. “Yeah,” she yawned, “But I’m not touching you again until you’re showered.”</p><p>“Noted.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Lol my biology degree finally came in handy, between this and Cells at Work I think I've used it more for anime than anything else XD But yeah hope you guys enjoyed this!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They had a lot of time back in Konoha after that mission. Ibikki was an expert in torture, second only to the Yamanaka’s, and he used it to make his ANBU agents the best. The motto was ‘better to break down at home than on a mission.’ On top of intense physical training, while ANBU were stationed in the village, Ibikki put his agents through deep psychological stress in an attempt to harden them. It worked. Usually, he had Ino help him, but for obvious reasons, Sakura was a personal project. </p><p>Today was watching an innocent child die, fucking genjutsu; she wasn’t allowed to break herself out either. It had been rough. She needed a distraction, part of her wanted to go to Kakashi’s, but things were weird since they got back. He was a completely different person in the village than he was in the field. Funny, likable, and social, well, at least with people he was comfortable with. It’s not like her friends didn’t like her, but she felt like a downer. It made him hard to approach. She would just bring down the mood. </p><p>“I got you!” Sakura snapped around and grabbed her nephew's ankle, holding him upside down. “How did you know I was there?” He protested. </p><p>Sakura turned him right side up and set him down. “You really are your father’s son,” she shook her head, “I can hear you a mile away, Boruto,” she tapped his nose, “also I can sense your chakra signature. When you’re older, I’ll teach you to suppress it, okay?” </p><p>“You’re so badass, aunty Sakura!” Boruto reminded her so much of Naruto at that age. It was sweet. </p><p>“Boruto! Language!” Hinata came up from behind, “I’m sorry, Sakura-chan, he admires you a little too much sometimes.”</p><p>Sakura put her fist out, and Boruto bumped it with his own, “No worries, I like the squirt. He’s getting faster. How are you, Hinata? Been a while.”</p><p>Hinata told her about how busy Naruto was, how she and her family were training Himawari’s Byakugan, and how much Boruto enjoyed the academy. As much as she loved this family, her family, she just couldn’t make herself care. It made her feel like a bad person but listening to Hinata just made her want to crawl into bed with a bottle of sake. Eventually, she said that she had to be on her way, so Sakura waved goodbye and made her way home to do just that. </p><p>~~</p><p>“For the dead girl or the alive one?” Ino handed over the flowers that Kakashi came in for every so often. It didn’t take her long, even as a child, to figure out why he was buying flowers obviously meant for a girl. And it was most certainly for that same reason, but Ino could dream. <br/>Kakashi rolled his eyes, “Dead one. I don’t know what you’re talking about with the alive one.” He did, of course. </p><p>“Right,” she put a heavy inflection on her word, “But hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, is Sakura okay? Have you seen her since you guys got back to the village?”</p><p>That couldn’t be good because no, he hadn’t. They had only been back a week, though, and he figured she was just sick of him. Although he did kind of miss sleeping with her, he had hoped she’d want to continue that. “I mean, she wasn’t hurt on the mission, but no, I haven’t, but I also haven’t tried. Why?”</p><p>“She’s flaked out on both Naruto and me. Her parents said she hasn’t come over since way before she joined ANBU,” she rested against the counter, “maybe I just worry about her too much, what do you think?”</p><p>“I think she’s fine, and if she’s not, she knows we’re here, but we can’t force it. Let’s just be patient. Thanks for the flowers,” he left quickly. First stop was Rin and Obito’s grave, then was Sakura’s place. When she stayed with him after the concussion twice, she disappeared, telling him she was having dinner with her parents. Deep down, he knew he was right when he told Ino that they couldn’t force it, but he was sure going to try. </p><p>Interestingly enough, though, he only had to make one stop. As he laid the flowers down, he noticed the pink hair again at the back of the cemetery. While it was hard to say for sure, she didn’t look like she was walking straight, and there was definitely a bottle in her hand. “Sorry Rin, I have to take care of someone. Say hi to Obito for me though,” he set the flowers down then walked over. </p><p>“You know there are a lot of bars and nightclubs a pretty young kunoichi could go to to get drunk. The Uchiha plots are an odd choice,” his hands were in his pockets, “Want to tell me what you’re doing?”</p><p>“Yes, captain,” she took a drink, “I’m being sad because my husband and daughter are dead, and I wish I were too,” she said with a little too much whimsy, “care to join me?” She handed the bottle over. </p><p>He didn’t really want to, but she’d be more inclined to talk if he did. They usually went for the cheap stuff, but she went for the really cheap stuff. It had been a while since alcohol burned this bad. “Back to the death wish, huh? You know now I have to stalk you all night to make sure you don’t do something stupid.”</p><p>Sakura pouted, “Do whatever you want. But I don’t want to keep you from your friends,” her tone bitter. </p><p>As much as he didn’t want to ask, “What do you mean by that?”</p><p>“How are you so fucking normal? What happened to the cold asshole-ish captain? The one that would choke me and fucked me until it hurt?” Her head swayed, “If you don’t help me finish this, I’ll do it myself.”</p><p>Kakashi sighed and took a bigger sip, “Sakura times are peaceful, you don’t have to be ANBU 24/7, it’s not reasonable. Enjoy your life a little. Everyone loves you,” he glared, “including your parents.” </p><p>“My parents, huh?” she sat down in front of Sasuke’s grave. </p><p>“Yeah. Apparently, they haven’t seen you since you’ve joined ANBU, but I specifically remember you going to their parents for dinner twice since then. You going to tell me where you went instead?” He sat next to her, taking another drink. </p><p>“No,” she traced Sasuke’s name, “Do you think Sasuke would love who I am today? Or would he hate it?”</p><p>Ah, she was in that kind of mood, “I don’t think he’d hate you. And I’d like to believe he’d love you any way you are.”</p><p>“I don’t think I love him the same way I used to, the way I am now. I used to so much, but I’ve changed too much. I think I’ve outgrown him; it just took him dying.” She looked up at Kakashi, “I miss him, though.”</p><p>Kakashi finished the bottle and stood up, only kind of understanding her little rant, “come on,” he held his hand out, “I’ve got an idea.”</p><p>She grabbed it silently, intrigued by his plan. They walked through the graveyard to the bench Sasuke had put her to sleep on so many years ago. “Why did you take me here?” </p><p>“Because you want to be sad, which is fine, but a graveyard is no place to act like a drunk fool. So, what made you want to get drunk next to some graves?” He sat back, the liquor also starting to hit him. </p><p>“Ibikki’s training consisted of me watching an innocent child die in a genjutsu; then I ran into Boruto and Hinata… It’s pathetic.” She sat next to him, “I need to pull it together.”</p><p>“You do, but no rush. You’re good in the field, and the longer you’re in ANBU, the easier it becomes to be off the field. Guy used to have to search the whole village for me the morning after a rough mission. I had a particular fondness for falling asleep drunk in various bushes. The bigger surprise was that he even looked for me. I was kind of a shit head back then,” he leaned back into the bench, “if I figured out, I have no doubt you will too. You’re the smart one, and I believe in you.”</p><p>“Thanks...” it was like electricity running through her body when he said that. She stared into his eyes, and her heart skipped a beat. Similar to when Sasuke spoke to her when she was just a kid, it had been a while since she felt this way, and god, it felt good. It was the bench, that’s it, it was just bringing up a lot of old feelings. “Kakashi…”</p><p>“Mm?” Her cheeks were red from the alcohol, he assumed, it was quite cute. </p><p>“Can I sleep at your place?”</p><p>She looked so desperate, which was weird because she knew she was always welcomed to, “Yeah,” he tapped her head, “Let’s go through. I’m old and tired and a little drunk now,” he got up and started walking. “Oh, by the way, go see Naruto, Ino, and your parents before our next mission. That’s an order. Normally I wouldn’t care who you see in your spare time, but I don’t want a mob sicked on me.”</p><p>“Fine,” she followed. </p><p>Sex was hotter during missions, it felt kind of weird in Konoha, but maybe it was because Sakura was the Uchiha widow and Kakashi was the sixth Hokage. But on missions, Sakura was the medic, and Kakashi was her captain. That was it. It was easier that way. She noticed Kakashi wasn’t nearly as dominant, but she wasn’t nearly as bratty, so it was probably both their fault. Still, it was better than nothing, and he was big, which was great as far as Sakura was concerned, but she couldn’t wait for their next mission. </p><p>“Do another shot with me,” Sakura went to the kitchen and pulled out a bottle she always knew Kakashi kept. All she was wearing was one of Kakashi’s sweaters. </p><p>“Sakura, I’m not in my twenties anymore,” he groaned, “I’m old and already drunk. Why do you insist on torturing me?” He was still lying naked in bed, shouting from his room. </p><p>But his words fell on deaf ears, “Come on, we’ve come this far, just like two more shots.”</p><p>Being with a younger partner was great for a lot of reasons. This was not one of them. “Fine,” he sat up, “give it here.” The two took another shot, Kakashi telling her a story about when Asuma, Guy, and Genma enlisted him to help them spy on Kurenai and Anko when they went to the hot springs. Kurenai still doesn’t know Asuma was there that day, and if you ever see a scar on Guy’s forehead, it’s from a shuriken Anko threw. At the second shot, Kakashi was a little too drunk to think of another story, so Sakura told him that the girls used to rate how hot the jonin were when they were sixteen. But of course, refused to tell Kakashi where he ranked. Kakashi took another shot for good measure before lying back into bed. </p><p>“See, getting drunk is fun,” she crawled on top of him, kissing him. “You look trashed,” she snickered, “come on, let’s get some sleep,” she laid next to him. </p><p>Kakashi’s eyes were already settling asleep, but before he was entirely asleep, he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer, “You smell nice.”</p><p>It was funny seeing him drunk. It didn’t happen often, “Thanks, Kakashi.” she patted his hand. Normally she wasn’t a big cuddler, but he was drunk and felt like he was hanging on for dear life, so she let it go. “Good night.”</p><p>His face nuzzled into her back, “Good night Rin.” </p><p>Her eyes widened, and she felt a tear roll down her cheek. Although she wasn’t sure why it was a simple drunk mistake. He was asleep, probably didn’t even realize the slip-up, but that didn’t make it sting less. As she laid there, a little drunk herself, she wondered if, if she called him Sasuke would it hurt him this bad?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Writing this chapter made me sad but the angst is fun so here we are</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They had been stuck in the village for a month. The most excitement she got was when Boruto tried to sneak attack her. She had to admit, though, he was getting better, quieter. Probably Hinata’s side kicking in. To make things worse, Ibikki finally had a mission for them, but it was proctoring the chunin exams, not even the fun part, his stupid written exam. “ANBU is boring. Why is it boring?” She sat back in the classroom while Kakashi picked up papers, cleaning up after the portion was over. </p><p>“It’s not boring. Things are just peaceful and stable, be happy about it, Sakura,” he scolded. </p><p>She knew he was right, of course, but she was still bored, “I guess,” she rolled his eyes. </p><p>He took a seat at the desk next to her, “But your wish is my command,” he teased, “We have our first real assignment. We’re being stationed.”</p><p>“Oh,” she sat up straight, “where?”</p><p>“The Lodge. It’s a compound in the mountains between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain. Get ready for three months lodged up with other ANBU and trapped in the snow,” he sighed. Sometimes he really regretted coming out of retirement. But Sakura looked excited, “We’re leaving tomorrow, wear civilian clothes though. It’s more practical to take the train to the bottom of the mountain, and ours leaves at 8.”</p><p>~~</p><p>Without the train, it would take them nearly three days to make it to the mountain base, but now they would be there by the morning. They had a small cabin with two benches opposite each other and a table in between, “Have you been to the lodge before?”</p><p>“Yeah, I was stationed there for a year when I was nineteen. It used to be where they’d send agents who were a pain in the higher-ups' side,” he smirked, “So yeah. It’s mostly underground. There's a gym, med bay and mess hall, a few dorms. You’ll have a roommate.”</p><p>“Are you?” </p><p>“Of course not,” he smiled, “I’m the acting captain.”</p><p>Sakura rolled her eyes, “Okay, so what are we going to be doing exactly?” </p><p>“Some guard duty, but Ibikki wants me to lead a couple of missions, one with just you and one with a four-man team, so there’ll be six of us.” It had been a while since he had led a mission that big. “Also, you’ll be head medic.”</p><p>Sakura pouted, “I like just working with you, though.”</p><p>“You’ll like it. We don’t do a lot of fighting as a two-person team, we’re small scale, but a team this big is going to be a tough one. Plenty of people for you to beat up,” he shouldn’t find it cute how happy she was at that prospect. Which made this all the more difficult, “We shouldn’t sleep together while we’re there. I’m the senior officer for the next three months, and it’s going to make things complicated.”</p><p>“Excuse me?” Sakura sat up straight and leaned in, “what the fuck are you talking about?”</p><p>He knew this wouldn’t go over well, but he didn’t want to argue. “I’m your senior officer, and it’s not just the two of us anymore. It’s just for three months, Sakura. I’m sure you’ll survive three months without sex.”</p><p>“Sex with you anyways,” she mumbled, slumping back in her seat. </p><p>They weren’t in a relationship. If she wanted to sleep with someone else, he didn’t really care, especially right now, but he would be really annoyed if she caused issues. The last thing she wanted to do was scold his former student, who he was also sleeping with, for sleeping with agents under him. That just sounded like a headache. The rest of the train ride and hike up the mountain was relatively silent, only exchanging words when necessary. Kakashi wished she would be a little more mature about it, but if he was in her position in the throws of his depressed ANBU years, he’d probably act the same. </p><p>The room was small, with a tiny bathroom attached to the side. Her roommate was in training, “Dinner is in the mess hall at 7, don’t be late. There’s a meeting at 8. Before the first mission, Ibikki also wants you to train the two other medics here. They need training in poisons and battlefield surgery.” Kakashi walked her to her dorm.</p><p>“Yeah,” she was cold, unpacking her bag. Once she finished, she headed for the door to explore, walking past Kakashi’s room.</p><p>A year ago, while he was still Hokage, Sakura insisted they get lunch. When he became swamped with paperwork, she brought it to his office. She had seemed fine, talking about missions, how Genma was overprotective of her during missions. Boruto wanted to dye his hair pink to match her. He figured she was still hurting; the pain she went through didn’t just go away, but he had no idea how much she was hiding. How volatile she was. For a second, he regretted joining ANBU for her, she didn’t need him, and he was stupid for assuming so, but ultimately he was glad he could keep an eye on her because as far as he was concerned, she had everyone else as fooled as he used to be. But, in retrospect, he probably shouldn’t have slept with her. </p><p>Dinner came and went. It was as shitty as he remembered. But after, everyone was to report to the meeting room. As Hokage Kakashi had to give a lot of speeches, but he found himself dreading giving one to a bunch of young ANBU agents. “I’m Bito and acting captain of this based,” he sighed, taking off his mask. Agents saw each other faces. That wasn’t a big deal, but usually, they kept some privacy with code names, but for obvious reasons, that wasn’t going to work with Kakashi and Sakura. “This is my partner Aki,” he had Sakura stand up next to him and take off her mask, “she’s the senior medic.” The rest of the agents already had their masks off and were gawking at the base's new additions. “But I’m sure you know us by different names. However, I expect a degree of professionalism, so please call us by the names we have given you.” The two medics in the back looked especially excited, probably because of Sakura. She was a legendary medic, but he wasn’t sure how much the other agents knew about her. Naruto got most of the glory after the war. “Our first mission is in a month. Tomorrow morning we’ll start training to figure out who is going and whose skill set will best serve it. 8 am start time, medics with Aki, everyone else with me.” He paused, “You’re free to go.”</p><p>Six months ago, this man was Hokage, and now he was awkwardly talking to a bunch of ANBU agents who thought he was practically a god. Sakura stayed behind and spoke to the two medics. A boy and girl, both much younger than her, Jin and Kisa. They introduced themselves, and both began gushing about Sakura’s accomplishments during the war and after. Kisa also introduced herself as Sakura’s roommate. Kakashi was secretly listening and smiling. It was about time that she got the recognition she deserved. After mingling and answering a few questions, the two retired to their rooms. Usually, there was some drinking and socializing in the evenings at bases like this, but they had hiked up the mountain today and were exhausted.</p><p>“Jin and Kisa seem excited to work under you,” Kakashi noted walking down the hall, “What do you think of them?”</p><p>Sakura shrugged, “They’re both smart, Jin is a little excitable, but I think tomorrow will be good. Can we meet up for you guys in the afternoon for combat training?”</p><p>“Sure,” he noticed her cheeks were still red from the cold. It was cute, “you’re their instructors. Are you sure it’s necessary, though?”</p><p>“Medical ninjas have four rules. The first rule is no medic ninja shall ever stop medical treatment until the lives of their party members have come to an end. The second is no medic ninja shall ever stand on the front lines. And the third is no medic ninja shall ever die until they are the last of their platoon. That means if everything has gone terribly wrong and everyone is wiped out except the medic, they might be the only ones to complete the mission. So it’s important to make sure their fighting skills are just as sharp as the rest of their party’s.” She stopped at her door, “Besides, there’s only so much medical Jutsu you can pack in one day. It’s good to let the information sink in before moving onto the next thing.”</p><p>He leaned against the wall next to her, “What’s the fourth rule.”</p><p>She pointed to the seal on her forehead, “if you have this, you can discard the other three rules.”</p><p>“Ah, makes sense,” He tapped her seal, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”</p><p>~~</p><p>Jin was a tad more advanced than Kisa, but the girl had extraordinary chakra control, the kind that couldn’t be taught. Sakura would have to spend more time with her, but she could be a candidate for receiving her own seal. After lunch, they joined the rest of the agents. It was taijutsu day—Sakura’s favorite. “Alright, partner up,” Kakashi sat back. He didn’t mind this part of the job. He really did like teaching. </p><p>“Captain!” Kakashi was already rolling his eyes. It was Goro, definitely the strongest and most talented ninja here but also the most obnoxious, “I want to fight you. We both know I can beat everyone here.” </p><p>Poor kid, he was almost right, “Beat Aki first,” he pointed to Sakura, who was smirking at the challenge.</p><p>Goro just scoffed, “The medic?” She was almost a foot shorter than him and her tiny frame, “No offense sweetheart-”</p><p>“Uh oh,” Kakashi mumbled. </p><p>“But I just don’t think it’s fair,” that just made Sakura smile bigger. </p><p>This would make his day more interesting, “Beat Aki in a fight, and if you win, I’ll fight you.” He looked over at Sakura, who was stretching her arms in preparations. Obviously, he didn’t know who Sakura was. Jin and Kisa looked nervous, for Goro. “Aki, no chakra, and don’t go all out. I need him to be able to walk after this.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, captain,” Goro stared down at the smaller medic, “I’ll let you have the first shot, little lady.”</p><p>“You’re going to regret letting her do that,” he warned. </p><p>“I don’t-” Before he could respond, he felt a strike in his gut. </p><p>While he recovered quickly, he wasn’t fast enough to catch her. She seemed to disappear, reappearing behind him with a kick. This went on for a while. She was fast, almost as fast as Lee was during the chunin exams. Her training with him and Guy was paying off. She hit him every other strike, which Kakashi enjoyed watching because she was just playing with him. Finally, he caught her by the ankle, holding her upside down with a smirk that he had won. But Sakura looked unfazed. She hoisted herself up by grabbing his arm and using it as leverage to throw him on his back. It almost looked unreal how such a small girl could topple a big guy so easily. <br/>`<br/>“You bitch,” he groaned.</p><p>“Language! If I hear that again, I’ll let her infuse her chakra into those punches,” Kakashi interjected. He didn’t like women being called that in general but especially Sakura. </p><p>Sakura landed standing up, about to punch down, but Goro avoided standing up and going on the defensive as Sakura came at him. She was relentless, he thought he found an opening for a punch, but she caught his arm and gave the same smirk he had given her when he caught her upside down. The difference now, though, was while Sakura didn’t sweat her position for a second, Goro looked scared. Sakura twisted his arm, and again he fell onto his back. Still holding his arm, she stepped on his throat. “We done here, sweetheart?” The rest of the agents looked on in horror while Jin and Kisa smiled at each other and watched their mentor for the next three months takedown Goro who had been demeaning them as medics since he got here. </p><p>“I think so,” Kakashi stood up, “Aki, no notes, you did great. Now Goro, you’re too slow. Also, your footwork is sloppy. It makes your movement less fluid and open to mistakes.” He looked out to the rest of the group, “Now would be a good time to add if I hear anyone disrespecting medics at this base, I will not hesitate to put you on 3 am guard duty, outside, until I leave. Medics are a crucial part of a ninja team. Aki here has personally saved our Hokage and me several times in the middle of battle, risking her life to do so. We respect medics here, understand?” All the agents silently nodded. </p><p>Sakura finally let Goro go, helping him up, “You also spent too much time trying to figure out where I was instead of where I was going to be. But don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it.” She was so ready to kick his ass before she hadn’t realized he was kind of cute. Shaggy dark blonde hair, big and definitely strong, with dark green eyes, he might be fun in bed. </p><p>“Yeah,” he stood up, still a little shocked about what had just happened, “thanks for the tips.”</p><p>“My pleasure,” her voice became just a little more sultry. Kakashi rolled his eyes. He said he didn’t care if she slept with someone else but did it have to be this guy? If it were someone else, he wouldn’t bat an eye. It was just because Goro was annoying. That was it, nothing else. </p><p>The rest of the session went well, Kakashi and Sakura going around and correcting the agents' form. At the end of it, everyone convinced them to showcase spar with each other for “educational” purposes. Eventually, the two gave in, but it didn’t take much. They enjoyed sparing with each other; it had been awhile. Neither of them won. Kakashi probably could have pulled the win, but he thought it would be better for the other agents to continue speculating who was better—made things more exciting. </p><p>At the end of it, everyone went to their rooms to shower before dinner. “So,” Sakura grabbed her jacket and water bottle, talking only loud enough for Kakashi to hear, “Care to join me in my shower, captain?”</p><p>“You are insatiable, Sakura,” he picked his stuff up, “have you considered a cold shower for yourself?”</p><p>Before Sakura could retort, a group of female agents came up to the pair, “Captain,” one of them spoke, “Could you show us that move you used on Aki? The one where she landed on the ground and your knee was on her back? We were just talking about how cool that looked, and we could use some practice getting out of holds like that.” </p><p>Sakura could catch some of them snickering; she just rolled her eyes. “Practice,” huh? But Kakashi looked oblivious, “I guess…”</p><p>“Captain,” Sakura interjected, “I actually need to discuss some of the training programs with you, remember?” she grabbed his arm and dragged him off. </p><p>“What are you doing?” He asked once they got into the hall. </p><p>It happened again, Sakura was jealous, and she hated that fact. That night weeks ago, when he called her Rin, it was the same feeling, but she couldn’t let him know. She decided she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction then, and she sure as hell wouldn’t now. She didn’t care. It’s what she had been telling herself for weeks now, trying to convince herself. “You said you couldn’t sleep with anyone here. Those girls were flirting with you. I thought you’d want the save.” </p><p>Kakashi rolled his eyes, “Whatever, I’m going to bed. Good night,” he waved. </p><p>“Night,” she said back softly, reminding herself once more, she didn’t care.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Happy New Year! I love writing Kakashi and Sakura being complete disasters, it oddly satisfying. Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The group mission was coming up, but she and Kakashi were going on an information-gathering mission first. The group's mission was to assassinate a terrorist group who were at the edge of The Land of Rivers. The intel said they had plans to bomb Konoha. So the duo were going to stake out their hideout. They were going to leave in two days. For now, they were just training, eating, and drinking with their fellow agents in the evenings before going to bed. It was nice, but Kakashi was still pissing her off. He didn’t do anything, but she hated how relaxed he was with everyone and how he didn’t seem to care in the world. Sometimes he would joke around, being the smart ass and sometimes silly teacher she remembered from her childhood. It wasn’t how he was acting, though, that made her upset. It was that she couldn’t do it, just like in Konoha. She couldn’t just forget everything and have a good time. Her shoulders were tense, and she hardly spoke in the group, settling on drinking in the corner, sometimes telling Jin and Kisa a medical story, sometimes giving Goro tips but mostly just feeling dead inside. </p><p>“So,” Goro leaned against the wall next to her, “I figured out who you are. Like actually,” he leaned down and whispered, “Sakura.” </p><p>She smirked, her eyes still forward, “What? You want a medal for figuring out I’m a war hero?” her tone was harsh.</p><p>“No, I just think you’re hot and badass, that’s all,” he sipped his drink, “maybe you could give me private lessons later.”</p><p>Private lesson? Maybe that’s what she needed. Talking to people and socializing was hard, but sex was easy. “Hmm, very forward of you, Goro,” she leaned in a little closer, “what would you want to work on?”</p><p>Kakashi was in the middle of telling the agents about his time in ANBU the first time, how different of an organization it was. Out of the corner of his eye, though, he saw Goro and Sakura getting a little too close for comfort. Maybe he would spar with Goro later, any excuse to get a few hits on his smug face. But he tried to stay focused on the story. Obsessing over Sakura wasn’t going to do him any good. </p><p>Sakura left, heading back to the dorms. Goro didn’t follow, which was a relief to Kakashi a little later though he noticed Goro head to his room with a smile on his face. Very suspicious. Eventually, Kakashi retired to his room. When he walked past Goro’s door, he was ashamed to say he stopped and listened carefully, trying to figure out what was going on behind the door. Luckily there was silence. But in his little investigation, he failed to notice what was right in front of him. </p><p>“Hey, going to bed?” It was Sakura in spandex shorts and a loose shirt. He loved those shorts.</p><p>It didn’t look like she was curious about what he was doing right outside of Goro’s door, so he tried to collect himself. “Yeah, where are you going?”</p><p>“To work out,” she lied, “want to come with me? Spar a little? I was so busy helping Jin out today I barely got anything in for myself.” All she wanted was for him to say yes. It would be as good as talking her out of going into Goro’s room. There was a part of her that wanted to scream to him that she wanted to be with him more than anything else, but instead, he touched her shoulder, walking past her. </p><p>Of course, he was relieved that she was just going to the gym and not his room, or so he thought. “Maybe tomorrow night, I’m exhausted and might have had too much to drink.”</p><p>As he walked away, she felt her heart sink. She had really hoped he would come with her because now she was going to Goro’s room to do something that her heart was telling her she didn’t really want. When she knocked on the door, his roommate answered. Without saying a word, he left, leaving her and Goro alone. Sex with him was good, great even. He was hot, strong, and knew what he was doing. A year ago, she might have even kept him around, but it wasn’t the same. He wasn’t Kakashi. </p><p>~~</p><p>There was something wrong. Kakashi lay in bed, missing the nights that he had Sakura beside him. Maybe he should have taken her offer up to train a little. He sat up and grabbed a shirt, as much as he wanted to sleep, he wanted Sakura more. Never did he think a girl would come before sleep. Walking down the hall, he noticed one of the agents, Goro’s roommate, sitting out in the hall. “What are you doing?”</p><p>“Goro’s got a girl in there. We have a deal where the other one has to leave when we have someone over.” He was nonchalant about it.</p><p>Some things never change; ANBU agents still sleep around. He looked at the door. It was Sakura, it had to be, he could go to the gym and see if she was there, but he knew he didn’t have to. “Ah,” he turned around and walked back to the room, “have a good night then.” Getting back into bed, he looked up, throwing his hands on his head, “Fuck,” he whispered to himself, wanting to band his head into the wall. </p><p>~~</p><p>“So, wanna come over tomorrow night?” Goro laid back as Sakura got dressed, “I didn’t get you to finish, and I’m eager to please.”</p><p>He didn’t because she just thought about how much better Kakashi was every time she was close. There was nothing he could do to fix that. “Maybe. Probably not, though. See you around,” she walked out and headed down the hall before he could respond. Probably not the most professional she had ever been, but she was really only in charge of the other medics, and she wasn’t going to sleep with either of them, partly because she saw how Jin looked at Kisa, the poor boy was in love. </p><p>Quietly she got back to her door but stared down the hall. Would it be so bad if she just let herself into his room? Cuddled up next to him? Probably. Kisa was asleep, so she slipped in, trying to make as little noise as possible. Trying to fall asleep, all she could think about was him. It was so annoying, but part of her wondered if he was thinking about her in the same way. But no, he wasn’t. She wasn’t Rin. That’s what she thought anyway. </p><p>~~</p><p>The next day went without incident, Goro tried to flirt with Sakura, but she ignored him. He wasn’t what she was looking for. Kakashi had been watching how they interacted all day, and as much as he hated acting like a petty teenager, he was happy he was getting the cold shoulder. After dinner, both Sakura and Kakashi opted not to stay up and drink with everyone. They were to leave early in the morning. The plan was to leave early enough in the day so they could get back before it got too dark. Neither of them wanted to camp on a snowy mountain. </p><p>“You ready for tomorrow?” They went back to his room to go over the details of how the morning was going to go.</p><p>“Yeah, not a huge fan of snow, but I’ll deal,” he took his shirt off, throwing it into the laundry bin. It had been a while since she saw him shirtless, god she missed it. He seemed resolved not to sleep with her while they were here, though. And to be fair, the longer they were here, the more she understood why. All the agents really looked up to him and immediately trusted him. He couldn’t jeopardize that by getting too personal with anyone. She was actually regretting sleeping with Goro for that exact reason but too late to take it back now. “Hey, if I tell you something, will you promise not to be mad?” </p><p>What a loaded question, “I guess.”</p><p>“I fucked up and slept with Goro,” she felt unusually guilty. </p><p>Kakashi shrugged, “Happens. I’m sure all these agents slept with each other before we showed up.” He tried to be nonchalant about it, not wanting her to pick up his irritation, “I saw him be all butthurt today, but he’ll move on, or not, either way, everyone here knows the mission and team come first, so don’t worry about it.”</p><p>“Have you slept with anyone here?” She tried not to sound too interested. </p><p>“No. There’s one girl who caught my eye,” he glanced in her direction before turning around, throwing out his clothes for the next morning, “But I’m captain. Everyone has to trust that I see everyone equally, that I don’t favor anyone. Sex makes it complicated. Trust me.” He knew from experience.  </p><p>“And who caught your eye, captain?” She walked up to him from behind, placing her hands on his shoulders. </p><p>He huffed a laugh, “You’re too easy to rile up Sakura,” he tapped one of her hands, “You know I’d be happy to leave and give you some time alone if you need it.” He resisted the urge to turn around and see her face. </p><p>“Help me, captain,” she stood on her toes and whispered as close to his ears as she could. While she respected his decision not to sleep with anyone here, she couldn’t let the easy jabs roll past her. </p><p>There it was, nobody had ever gotten him so hard so quickly before, he thought I’d take at least a month or two before her just whispering suggestively got to him. He was truly doomed if it only took a couple of weeks. Turning around, he grabbed both of her wrists, “Sakura, you’re a beautiful girl, but I can’t.” This probably wasn’t the best position to put himself in, holding her wrists up while shirtless, her giving him intense bedroom eyes. It reminded him of the first few missions they went on together. In ANBU, of course. </p><p>“No one would know, I’ll be quiet,” she stepped forward. </p><p>He sighed and let her go, “We both know you’re not very quiet,” pulling out a clean shirt and throwing it on, “Besides, you have Goro.” There was more of a bite to that than he intended. </p><p>Sakura crossed her arms, “You said you wouldn’t get mad.”</p><p>“I’m not mad,” he tried to be as deadpan as possible. </p><p>“You sound mad.”</p><p>It was his fault. He shouldn’t have brought him up, “look, I’m a little jealous, okay? Can you blame me, though? You flirt with him in front of me, he’s like twenty years younger, and it took you less than a week.” He felt like an asshole saying it. </p><p>“Why do you care? I’m not Rin!” The second she said it, she knew she went too far, but there was no going back.</p><p>It had been a while since the last time he was mad. But even longer since he had been this mad. “You have no right to talk about her,” he stepped closer, “she’s not a part of whatever is going on here, so keep her name out of your damn mouth Sakura.” By most standards, his response was tame, but Kakashi didn’t curse at his friends, he hated doing it, but the thought of Rin being involved in any of this mess was too much. </p><p>“Actually, she is,” it was something she had decided not to tell him about. It didn’t matter. They weren’t together; he could want whoever he wanted, even if it wasn’t her. But now the words just flowed out, “If you don’t want me to talk about her, don’t call me by her name.” She sat on his bed and put her face in her hands, groaning. </p><p>Kakashi stopped to think, what was she talking about? He sat down next to her, his anger subsiding and turning to confusion, “When did I…?”</p><p>“That night in Konoha when we got drunk. We were in bed, you started cuddling me and called me Rin,” she leaned her head on his shoulder, “I don’t know, I have conflicted feelings about it.” The conversation went so quickly from heated to calm. It was exhausting. </p><p>“Yeah,” he nodded, “same.” The two sat like this, Kakashi trying to remember that night, but he couldn’t hold his liquor like he used to. “I’m sorry,” he finally spoke. </p><p>Before responding, she kissed his shoulder, “I know. It’s okay. You don’t owe me anything.”</p><p>“I do,” he cradled the side of her head, “Before all of this, we were friends. I’d like to think we still are. I love you, Sakura, not how I loved Rin and not how you loved Sasuke, but... I love you. I don’t like that I made you feel bad. When I used to have really bad nightmares, it was always the moment my fist went into Rin’s chest, they never went away but joining ANBU, being close to you, the dreams have been getting intense again, so she’s been on my mind more.”</p><p> “Quit. ANBU and me, no one is making you stay,” she didn’t want him to go. She wasn’t ready for that. But hearing him having to go through this made her feel sick. </p><p>Kakashi sighed, “No, I’m going to stay,” he readjusted his body to face her, “I joined in some stupid crusade to protect you, but I think I have to go through whatever this is,” he kissed her forehead, “I thought I had come to peace about Rin’s death, but I guess not.”</p><p>This was weird. She had never heard him open up this much before, the man was usually such a wall. For the first time, Sakura thought he was vulnerable. Sakura gently pressed her lips against his, the thin mask between them, “you’re a good person Kakashi.” She stood up, “we have to leave early in the morning. I’m going to bed.”</p><p>“Yeah, okay,” he stayed sitting on the bed, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Whatever their relationship was, it started off so easy and comforting. Now he couldn’t even ask her to stay the night. He just watched her vanish through the door.  </p><p>~~</p><p>“Ready?” He had no idea how Sakura, even in snow pants and a parka, could be so sexy. He was forty, wasn’t he supposed to be obsessed with girls anymore. It was annoying, especially because he barely slept last night.</p><p>“Yeah,” Sakura grabbed her pack, “Let’s head out.” She was eager to head out, things should have been okay after last night, but there was still something weird between them. But missions were good, they wouldn’t be traveling far, and once they got to the suspected base, she could get into a headspace where nothing mattered except their objective. Not her feelings, not her past, and not Kakashi.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Not going to lie sometimes writing their weird off and on thing gives me flashbacks to dating in college XD But I love writing them as their most disastrous state, it's oddly satisfying. Also I just want to be clear, Goro didn't force Sakura to have sex or anything. When she says she doesn't know if she wants to she's just very confused about what she wants but she gives Goro very enthusiastic consent. He's an asshole but not that kind of asshole. </p><p>Anyways, we've circled back to Rin. Rin and Obito are just watching Kakashi from wherever (heaven??? Ninja heaven?) and also want to bang their head against a wall. They just wanted their boy to be happy.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m getting in closer, cover me 500 meters behind,” The base was impressive for being in the mountains, in the snow. The entrance was a cave, but he could see the sharp corner of metal poking out the closer he got. </p><p>Finding the base proved more complicated than they thought. The intel was vague, and it was getting fucking cold. Eventually, though, they found it, the entrance was a cave, but Kakashi could see the sharp corner of metal poking out the closer he got to the mountainside. “I’m getting in closer. Cover me 500 meters behind.”</p><p>“Roger.” She saw Kakashi make his way to the top of the entrance. It was the only way in, which was smart. Easier to monitor and more challenging to break in, so Kakashi would have to be careful. Sakura was watching from the front behind a small snow mound. She had to cover her pink hair well so she could camouflage into the snow. Lucky Kakashi’s blended right in. “You’re clear, I don’t see anyone in the entrance, and I can’t read any chakra signatures.”</p><p>“Got it,” He jumped from the top and walked in</p><p>Sakura followed so she could keep visuals on him, darting from mound to mound. Luckily, the cave entrance was lit with lanterns so she could see into it, at least a little bit, but it was already starting to get dark outside. Having a Sharingan right about now would be nice, though. But eventually, he left her sight, and she couldn’t get closer without being in the open. “Bito, I can’t see you come back.”</p><p>“Hold on, I see something, just keep eyes on the door.” Sakura could hear a door slam in the background. About fifteen minutes late, “How good is your genjutsu?” His voice was rushed like he was running. </p><p>“Excellent, you know that. What did you do?” She was going to kill him, he did something stupid, she knew it. </p><p>“In 20 seconds, I’ll be out of the cave, get the guy chasing me caught in one.” The com went silent.  </p><p>Sakura rolled her eyes and got closer getting her hand sign ready. Like he said, he ran out first, then some guy behind him, he didn’t even see her before she caught him. His eyes glazed over, “I made him think you’re his boss. You have a minute before he’s out. But he’ll wake up like the last ten minutes didn’t happen.”</p><p>He had never seen a genjutsu like that, although she had mentioned she was working with Kurenai with some new techniques. However, he would have to admire her hard work later, “Why were you the only one in the base?”</p><p>“Boss, you left yesterday with the crew to grab weapons in the Land of Water. You said you’d be back in a week. Why are you back so early?” He was swaying, having a hard time.<br/>“There was an issue with the dealer. What kind of weapons were they again?” He tried to play along, not to break the trance. </p><p>He thought for a second, “Cannon things? I forgot what they’re actually called.”</p><p>“How long ago did I leave? Also, why did I leave you alone?” Kakashi asked. </p><p>“Yesterday. And you said there’s no way anyone knows where this base is.” Finally, the guy fell to the ground. </p><p>Kakashi caught him, “What do I do with him?”</p><p>“He’ll wake up in an hour and think he just fell asleep,” she tried to step forward, almost falling before catching herself. </p><p>“You okay?” Kakashi almost dropped the guy to catch her. </p><p>She nodded, “That genjutsu is really intense and takes a lot of chakra at once. I’m okay. But get him back into the base, and we can look around a little if it’s just him.”</p><p>Again, not the best time to stop and admire her, but he completely missed when exactly his former student became such a badass. “Right.”</p><p>They didn’t find much inside, but they at least had an idea of the layout. That was until Sakura found a layout of Hokage Tower and a copy of Naruto’s itinerary for the month. “Holy shit.” Kakashi came over and looked over her shoulder, “We should leave soon, but Naruto has to change his whole schedule.” She handed him the papers. Then she found something that made her stomach churn. “Kaka- Bito,” she was so in shock she almost used his real name, “Look.”</p><p>Sakura showed him a photograph, and it was the worst-case scenario. “We have to get this information to Konoha as soon as possible.” It was a picture of Naruto, Hinata, Boruto, and Himawari. They weren’t just targeting the Hokage. Outside it was already starting to get dark and, “If we’re quick, I think we can back it back before we can’t see anymore.” Although that was very hopeful, it was clear after less than an hour that they’d have to make camp. Sakura didn’t say anything, but he could tell her stamina was down after that genjutsu. He didn’t realize the physical toll it took. Luckily nearby was an overhang in the mountain that was almost cave-like. Starting a fire probably would be impossible because of the wind, but the small plot of rock wasn’t snow covered, so there was that. </p><p>“We can keep going,” Sakura insisted. If she broke her seal, she could make it back to base, no problem.</p><p>Not wanting to hurt his partner’s pride, Kakashi took the fall, “It’s cold, and we’re both tired. Going in the morning is the safer option. He took out his sleeping bag, “Give me yours,” Sakura, too tired to argue, threw him hers. He zipped them together and took off his jacket and snow pants, heaving him in a long sleeve and regular ANBU pants, “You should strip too and come into the bag with me. It’s the best way to stay warm.” Hopefully, Sakura was too exhausted to try anything tonight because it probably wouldn’t take much for him to break his no-sex rule when he was so close to her. </p><p>“Okay,” her eyes looked heavy, she lazily undid her jacket and pants. To his surprise, she was only wearing spandex and a tank top underneath. Sakura grabbed a food pill then snuggled into the bag, trying to get warm after being almost naked for even a second in the cold wind.</p><p>Sometimes he forgot she was still new to conditions like this. Twenty-seven was an old age to join ANBU. She wasn’t thinking ahead like he was to wear warmer clothes underneath. However, she would have been an agent years ago if it weren’t for his interference. “Here,” he grabbed some food for himself and slipped into the bag next to her, “Body heat is the best thing to stay warm,” he grabbed her waist, “Just let me know if this makes you uncomfortable or not.” That was a dumb question. </p><p>Sakura settled into his body, “I could never feel uncomfortable with you Kakashi,” she figured it was safe to use his real name here, even if she wasn’t supposed to. “Sorry, I didn’t realize how intense that genjutsu was on my body.”</p><p>“Don’t apologize. We would have been fucked without it. It’s an impressive technique. I’m guessing that’s the first time you’ve used it?” He ran his hands up and down her body to warm her up, of course.</p><p>She nodded her head, “Yeah. Kurenai helped me develop it, but I never got to test run it. I guess it works, though.” They were quiet for a moment as Sakura tried to warm up. Usually, she would use her chakra, but she was already so low. Besides, Kakashi’s warmth was starting to work. “Hey, tell me about Rin.”</p><p>“I don’t want to talk about her, Sakura,” his voice got stern and his body rigid. </p><p>After taking a breath, Sakura let it go, “Okay, I’m sorry.”</p><p>Her response was somewhat alarming. It was rare for Sakura to let something go. She also sounded sad. He sighed, “She was a lot like you,” he had no idea why he started talking, “Smart, caring, and loyal- to a fault. She pushed both Obito and me to be better ninjas.”</p><p>“Did you love her?”</p><p>“I think so. Hard to say, I was young, depressed, alone…” he trailed off, “Obito loved her, though, more than I ever could. We had sex, but… I don’t know, sorry it’s confusing, trying to decipher my feelings at fourteen as a forty-year-old is hard.”</p><p>“That’s fair. You don’t have to say anymore. Kurenai and Guy told me a few things about them, and of course, I met Obito, but I’ve always been curious what you had to say about them. Then when you called me Rin,” she paused, feeling bad for bringing that incident up. “I just thought she must be pretty great if she was still on your mind.”</p><p>Sakura had a way of bringing up the weirdest topics at the most inopportune times. It was both annoying and impressive. “She was. And I killed her,” he pressed his forehead into the back of her head, “So sometimes I think I idolize her because I still feel guilty about it. Then idolizing her just makes me feel more guilty.” Rarely did Kakashi open up, but them being trapped in the mountains, in the dark, no one around except each other for miles made it easier to spill your soul. </p><p>“The thing about dead people is they don’t get a stake anymore, Kakashi. They’re dead. You have nothing to feel guilty about,” she tried to reassure him, using the same logic he used on her not long ago. “But I know it’s hard to forgive yourself.” Sakura turned around to face him, their foreheads pressed together, “Think you can follow your own advice?” The corner of her mouth moved up just enough to make a recognizable smile. </p><p>“I’ll try,” his mouth moved closer to hers. </p><p>Situations like this were becoming annoyingly common, “How did our relationship get so weird?”</p><p>Kakashi sighed, “An excellent question. I thought we could pull off just sex at first, but there’s a lot of other things in play,” he moved a piece of her hair behind her ear, “The reality is, I care about you too much.”</p><p>“Don’t go falling in love with me, Hatake,” she half-joked but also hoped he caught the warning.</p><p>After pressing his lips against her forehead, his mask still on, he leaned in and cupped her cheek. “I don’t think I can fall in love,” he looked into her eyes. It was still dark, but the moon was bright, giving him just enough light to see her eyes shimmer, “but someday I hope someone does, fall in love with you, I mean. You’re special.” </p><p>“No one’s going to fall in love with,” she huddled into him, getting ready to fall asleep, “They’ll just run away. I have anger issues, go on dangerous missions, sleep around,” she stopped to yawn, “And I can’t have kids. Not really anyone’s dream girl.”</p><p>That last reason made his stomach churn, “Sakura, you deserve love even if you can’t have kids.” But she didn’t respond. When he looked down, her eyes were closed. She had crashed. Part of him wished he could fall in love with her. Sometimes he thought he might be, but those moments were fleeting, and he always brought himself back to reality. But now he wished he could just to show her she deserved it, but he could never be that person for her, for anyone. He pulled down his mask and kissed her forehead again, “You’ll be okay, Sakura.”</p><p>The next morning they picked up their things and headed out as soon as possible. Talking while walking was difficult in this weather, especially when their jackets also covered their mouths. What Sakura said last night bothered him, he wanted to reassure her or something, but as they got closer to their base, Kakashi lost his courage to do so. </p><p>Jin greeted them once they got back in, offering to give them their physicals as soon as they changed, “That’s not necessary, Jin, I’m alright,” Kakashi unzipped his coat. “Please get Konoha on the line.</p><p>“Captain, I don’t think I can let you-“ Jin looked to his mentor, who had made him promise to inspect everyone, especially Kakashi.</p><p>“We’re alright but don’t let anyone else come back from a mission without one,” Sakura smiled at her student. “I’m going to change and shower, but in two hours, I want to see what you and Kisa worked on while I was gone.”</p><p>“Yes, sensei,” he lowered his head. “I’ll head to the office and call the Hokage Tower.” Jin headed off leaving the two at the entryway. </p><p>“Hey, I need to talk to you about my students. Can I change in your room?” Sakura took off her hood. She didn’t have that teasing tone she used when she was trying to get him into bed. </p><p>Cautiously he agreed, “Yeah, sure. Let’s fill in Shikamaru first.” The two walked down together, it wasn’t a pleasant phone call, disturbing honestly but they felt relieved they had figured it out before it was too late. Both of them were pleased. </p><p>~~</p><p>“I’m recommending Kisa for the mission, she’s better at high-stress procedures, and she’s a better fighter. I like Jin. He’s brilliant and more advanced than Kisa, but…” She took off her snow pants and jacket back in Kakashi’s room, “I don’t know how he got into ANBU. He’s kind of delicate.”</p><p>Kakashi shrugged, “Probably because he’s smart. Again with things being so peaceful, ANBU can afford to have more brain than brawn. But that’s fine. It’s probably for the best that the more advanced medic is here for when we get back.” He stripped down too. </p><p>“We’ll do burn and flesh wound training until we leave,” she walked up to Kakashi and grabbed his waistband. “I missed sleeping next to you,” the tips of her fingers curled into it. </p><p>He had too, Sakura was so exhausted, and they didn’t have a lot of room in the sleeping bag but being pressed up against her body all night was stirring some old feelings up. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer, “Sakura, we still have a month and a half here. If you can last that long I’ll make it worth your while.”</p><p>His hands traveled down to the bottom of her shorts. He was debating if he could make it that long himself. “How?” he felt her lips on his collarbone. </p><p>“Fuck,” he muttered before pushing her onto the bed and pulling his mask down, “Okay, one time.” </p><p>Sakura assumed that meant fucking, his dick inside her, and as exciting as that was, what he actually meant was so much more exciting. He pulled down her short and pressed his tongue into her clit. “Kakashi, we’ve been hiking all morning, and I haven’t showered yet,” she fell on her back as his tongue entered her slit. </p><p>“Don’t care,” his response was muffled as he dove deeper into her. Finally, he moved his head up, “I can’t believe it took me this long to taste you,” he slid one finger in her causing her to wince. “Lay down, Sakura,” he ordered in a similar voice he talked to the other agents in. Of course, she obliged, and he slipped another one in, “I said I wouldn’t fuck you while we’re here, but if I do this, will it hold you over?” his fingers still moving in and out. </p><p>“Yes, captain,” she nodded. </p><p>He lowered his head again just enough to tease her clit, “You taste so good,” he slid a third finger as she arched her back, “Should I do this more when we get home?”</p><p>“Yes, captain,” her face was flushed, and expression softened at the little break he gave her. </p><p>“You pretend to be so tough and mean, but the second my tongue and fingers hit your pussy, you turn into this,” he shook his head, “Did you get like this for Goro?” His fingers moved faster, and he went back down with his tongue.</p><p>“No cap-” she couldn’t form words any more electric-like pleasure running up and down her spine. Her moans started getting louder. </p><p>Kakashi took his fingers out and towered over her, putting the fingers that were in her onto her lips, “You have to be quiet, if anyone finds out I’m doing this, it’ll look like I’m giving you special treatment, and I don’t really feel like going down on everyone here.” He smirked, pushing his fingers further into her mouth, “Be good for me?” </p><p>Sakura nodded. He wrapped his arms underneath each of her legs and started in again every stroke of his tongue, bringing her closer to the edge. To no surprise to Sakura, Kakashi was the best oral she had ever had. It started out so meticulous, everything felt so intentional, but as she got closer, she squirmed more, which in turn made him sloppier. But that wasn’t a bad thing. </p><p>“Cum for me,” he ordered between breaths. </p><p>What sent her over the edge was him slipping his fingers in again. He didn’t work them in one at a time slowly this time. All three went in, pressing her g-spot almost immediately. “Fuck,” her body tightened around him. Once she relaxed, her breathing became heavy. “Why are you so good at everything?” </p><p>He chuckled and sat next to her. “Sakura, I think you forget I’m forty. I know how to eat a woman out. But I’m glad you liked it.”</p><p>“Not just that,” she slowly sat up, “The dirty talk and how your personality changes.”</p><p>“Does it? I don’t know. I just sort of go with it, I guess.” He was definitely more dominant with Sakura than any other partner he had, but he hadn’t really thought about it until now. “I will say, though, when you call me captain, it’s pretty hot.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, I need to shower before I meet up with Jin and Kisa,” she stood up, and he followed, “want to join me?”</p><p>“So greedy,” he tapped her head, “I’m going to grab some food.” When she opened the door, though, they were greeted by a group of agents, including Kisa, who all looked like they had seen a ghost. “What’s up?” he asked cautiously. </p><p>None of them wanted to speak. “Uh,” Kisa finally rose her voice, “We wanted to know how the mission went, and uh.”</p><p>“Right!” Kakashi clapped his hands, “Briefing tonight after dinner but right now, we’re training. So go away.” The agents all scattered, and he rolled his eyes at Sakura, “I told you to be quiet.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I realized Kakashi had never gone down on Sakura in this story yet so here you go XD </p><p>Anyways, thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>While Kakashi still would have preferred for no one to know that he and Sakura were together in any way, shape, or form, he hated to admit one upside. No one was going to attempt to sleep with her while they were there. He felt a little bad, but she did want it, and he did tell her to be quiet. No one ever slept with who the captain was sleeping with, a weird, unspoken rule. And while he considered himself to be evolved beyond petty jealousy, there was still a part of him that was glad no one else would touch her. He could hear Kushina scolding him for the thought. However, with everyone already knowing, what was the harm indulging himself a little? </p><p>“That was…” Kakashi laid on his back in bed, a film of sweat over him, half from their first workout and the rest from their very sexy second one. </p><p>“Amazing? Yeah. I know,” She was next to him. “Why is sex so much better outside of Konoha?” </p><p>“Konoha’s depressing,” he sat up, “plus we’re just Kakashi and Sakura there.”</p><p>“And a snowy wasteland in the middle of nowhere, isn’t it? Also, what does that mean?”</p><p>Kakashi got out of bed and started the shower connected to his room. “It’s a different type of depressing. Also, it’s not that we’re outside of Konoha. It's that we’re only ANBU out here. This isn’t my first rodeo, Haruno. In ANBU, you’re not yourself. It’s kind of the point. It’s great for running away from problems, and you and I are hopeless, so….” He stepped in and closed the curtain. “You can sleep here if you want,” he called out from the shower. </p><p>“No,” she got dressed, something about what he said pissed her off, “See you tomorrow.”</p><p>One thing that surprised him about them sleeping together here is that Sakura never slept over, and he wasn’t sure why. It actually made him sad. It wasn’t like sleeping in his room was a big deal if everyone already knew about them, plus it was literally down the hall from her room. </p><p>~~</p><p>“Okay! We need Goro, Ryo, Yuji, Nana, and Kisa,” They would leave the next morning for the mission. “While we're gone, Nika is acting captain while Jin will be acting medic. Now here’s our plan,” Kakashi pointed to a board, “There’s only one entrance, so Sakura will go in first with her seal released and take out any long-range weapon, and we’ll follow in after her. Our element of surprise won’t last long, so we have to be quick. Leave no one alive and remember, these guys are after both the Hokage and his families. We can’t afford to mess this up.”</p><p>~~</p><p>Their team was tight and efficient, and the plan should have worked perfectly, but they hadn’t expected two things. The first being that the leader was willing to bomb their own headquarters to avoid being captured and that the leader was good, Akatsuki level good, he could Kakazu a run for his money. Kakashi’s ears were ringing. But he could see Sakura pursuing the leader, her seal still covering her body, which meant she was practically invincible at the moment. Kisa was the first to rise, she had stayed close to the back, and while her movements were stunted, she was already going to heal Yuji, whose arm was crushed. Nana and Goro followed Sakura, Kakashi went to join them, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ryo, crushed by the debris. Seeing men he was in charge of dead was never easy but seeing one of them under a rock stung a little extra. </p><p>Sakura kept throwing punches while also blocking the kunai. Luckily it seemed like he didn’t seem to have a chakra cannon on him. She found an opening and headbutted him which disorientated him for a moment, but it cracked the right side of her mask off, revealing even more of her seal. The man stumbled to the ground. Goro ran up, weaving hand signs that covered his hands in fire to deliver a final blow. But something seemed off to Sakura, “Goro, wait.” </p><p>But he didn’t hear her, and before she knew it, it was too late. The tip of the man’s sword was sticking through the young agent. Then Sakura saw the twist and heard a crack, his sternum or ribs most likely, as the man pushed Goro into the snow. The sword went through his heart, he would bleed out soon, and she could do her best, but there wasn’t much to be done in these conditions. Before she could react, she heard Kakashi’s voice, and a jolt of purple hit the man, killing him. </p><p>“Goro,” she dropped to the ground laying him on his side and taking off his mask. Blood was running down his chin. “I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt,” she spoke softly to comfort him. She looked up at Kakashi, who was staring down at the medic. “I need you to pull the sword out quickly, and I’ll start healing.” Kakashi grabbed the hilt and pulled Sakura, immediately getting to work.</p><p>“Hey Doc,” he winced, “I don’t think I’m going to make it,” he smiled. </p><p>A tear ran down her cheek as she poured more of her chakra into him, “Don’t say that. You need to believe you’ll live.” But she knew he was right. There was too much damage. She would need a minimum of four more healers and the luxury of twelve hours to even have a shot of saving him. </p><p>“Captain,” his voice was strained, “you jealous I got the doc to cry over me?” he chuckled before his eyes started to close. </p><p>“Yeah, kid,” he whispered before putting his hand on her shoulder, “Come on, we have to finish the mission.”</p><p>As much as she wanted to scream at Kakashi for thinking of the mission at a time like this, there was too much on the line. “Right,” she wiped away the tear from the half of her exposed face. The group ran back into the hideout. Kisa was still working on Yuji, but Sakura could feel his chakra signature strengthening. Her pupil was doing well. </p><p>When Kisa looked up, she started moving her body around, probably to look for Goro, but when he didn’t show, he went back to concentrating on Yuji. Finally, she looked up, “he’s weak, but he’ll make it out.” Sakura started to approach to check her work but felt a sudden burn on her leg. </p><p>It was fast but only grazed the outside of her thigh, but she saw a small hole in Kisa’s mask's forehead before the young medic dropped on top of Yuji. She could sense another stream of chakra coming towards her. She dodged but barely, the beam singeing her hair. No wonder she couldn’t sense it the first time. It was fast, hard to detect unless you were waiting for it. The other agents took cover, but Sakura had fucking had it. With the burn on her leg already healed from the amount of chakra flooding through her, she continued to walk forward. It was the guy they saw the first time they visited the cave. He pointed a black brick-like weapon at her. When he pulled a trigger, it shot chakra. She moved her head according to dodge any bullets aimed at her while letting the body shots hit, not even flinching before they healed. The closer Sakura got, the more scared the man looked. Sakura finally came face to face with him. </p><p>“I’m going to make it hurt,” she grabbed the wrist holding the gun and squeezed, certainly breaking it while dropping the weapon. Before the man had a chance to plead for his life, Sakura infused her fist with chakra and punched his face into the ground while letting go of him. His body hit the ground, a small impact crater following. </p><p>Her seal retracted back into her forehead, and Kakashi moved quickly to catch her, “You okay?” He helped her out. </p><p>“No,” she collected herself. “Can we bury them before we leave?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>~~</p><p>It was a small little ceremony, Kakashi used his earth release to make three plots in the ground with some trees nearby. They buried them, Sakura leaving three rock markers. It was too dangerous to bring the bodies back as they also had to carry all of the heavy weapons. Sakura hated that she couldn’t give their parents their bodies back, but it couldn’t be helped. After collecting everything they could from the wrecked base, they headed home. Making it back just before it got too dark to force them to camp. Nika happened to greet them, noticing the team came back much smaller than they left. </p><p>“Let me tell Jin,” was the first thing Sakura said. All the agents slept with each other. That was pretty common, except Jin. He only had eyes for Kisa. Everyone knew it. Kisa once told Sakura she liked him too, but it was too hard at the lodge to consider anything serious, but maybe she would let him take her out when they got home. He cried a lot. Apologizing for breaking the shinobi code, but Sakura assured him it was a stupid rule.  </p><p>Meanwhile, Kakashi called Konoha to update them. Ibikki and Shikamaru would be there in two days to collect the weapons. Sakura made sure Jin’s roommate took care of him while Sakura finished Kisa’s patch job on Yuji, who was still shaken up from Kisa dying on top of him. She made sure his roommate watched him carefully. Dinner was silent. Half the agents taking it in their rooms. But not Sakura. She didn’t want to go back to her room unless Kisa was on the other side of the door. </p><p>“Kakashi,” she opened the door slowly, peering in. He was sitting on his bed, fiddling with a camera. “Can I come in?” </p><p>“Yeah,” he didn’t look up from scrolling through the pictures. </p><p>“I can’t-” </p><p>Kakashi cut her off, “I know, come over here,” he set the camera down on his side table, “let’s just get some sleep.</p><p>It felt like she was twelve again, crying over Sasuke and Naruto almost dying. Back then, Kakashi was the only one who could get her to stop. Maybe it would work now too. After about an hour in his arms, she fell asleep without knowing it, only to wake up to an empty bed. She found Kakashi working out in the gym, he offered to spar if she wanted, but Sakura didn’t want to work out for once. She just wanted to go back to bed. </p><p>That night there was a small vigil of sorts. All the agents gathered in the common room and drank to their fallen comrades telling stories about them. Ryo once got drunk and tried to hit on a practice dummy. One girl, who had known Goro as a child, told everyone that he used to be afraid of caterpillars. Jin even joined in telling a story about how Kisa messed up on something during training back in Konoha, he chose to take the fall, and Ibikki yelled at him for an hour straight. Afterward, Kisa kicked his ass for taking the blame. The stories helped. At least a little bit. </p><p>~~</p><p>Ibikki brought her a new mask this time, and the details were painted red instead of pink. It was good to see Shikamaru, though she acted professionals in front of the others, but when she and Kakashi took him to the weapons cache, Sakura stopped to hug him. It caught him by surprise, but she had just lost three members of her team, so he smiled and hugged her back before they went on, business as usual. </p><p>They left quickly, wanting to get back to Konoha as soon as possible. Tonight things were a little more back to normal. ANBU had to bounce back quickly. Dinner wasn’t as lively, neither were drinks after, but everyone participated. They were all in it together. Afterward, Sakura came back to sleep in Kakashi’s room again. “I feel so bad for the parents. It was hard to see Sarada’s body, but I can’t imagine not seeing her, you know? It’s closure.” </p><p>She was laying on top of him, he pushed her hair behind her ear, “When ANBU die, usually their bodies are left on the field. But Ibikki delivers a canister of ashes to the families,” he moved his arms to wrap around her. </p><p>“That seems so dishonest. I just feel like they deserve better,” she lowered her head onto his chest. </p><p>“You told me once the dead don’t get a stake anymore. It makes the families feel better, and that’s all that matters. Get some sleep,” he turned off his lamp and closed his eyes, Sakura soon following. </p><p>~~</p><p>Compared to that mission, the next month was dull. A couple of recon missions in the Land of Rivers to check on some leads of possible other members of the terrorist group, but nothing came of it. These missions were supposed to just be Kakashi and Sakura, but Sakura convinced him to bring Jin instead. She was worried about him and thought getting out would be good. Kakashi would have rather shared the night with Sakura, but she was probably right, and it was his job to take care of his men. </p><p>Sakura just trained and did research but also took a late-night guard shift. She liked it, being outside in the cold with a cigarette. It was calming. Sometimes Kakashi joined her, but he liked it a lot less. Konoha had spoiled him with year-long warm nights. </p><p>“We only have a few weeks left here. You ready to go back to Konoha?” Kakashi asked, sitting on the floor with his back against the guard post cube. </p><p>She shrugged, ashing hers on the side into the snow, “I guess. It’ll be weird, though.”</p><p>“It will, but you’ll get back into the swing of things,” he tried to assure her, “So you going to move in when we get back?”</p><p>“Haha,” she glared, “Very funny.”</p><p>Kakashi just glared back, “I’m serious. You can if you want to, practically live there anyway.”</p><p>It felt like someone had hit her in the head with a hammer, “Oh. Kakashi, I’m not your girlfriend…”</p><p>“Yeah, I know. You can have the spare room, be my roommate. It won’t hurt my feelings if you say no but think about it,” he could see her trying to comprehend everything. “And yes, you can bring guys over. I’m a big kid. I won’t get weird or jealous.”</p><p>“You’re always weird,” she smirked and took another drag. “Besides, I think a part of you likes the idea of me with another man.”</p><p>Kakashi just raised his brows, neither confirming nor denying. “Now come on, Sakura, I may read those books, but I’m not that much of a pervert.”</p><p>“Yes, you are,” she threw some of the snow on the ground at him, “as someone whose had sex with you multiple times, I can safely say you’re that much of a pervert.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Not going to lie this story is about to get real JUICY now. Also yes I named a random side character Yuji because I'm currently OBSESSED with Jujutsu Kaisen.  Thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So in the beginning is an abortion scene. It's not graphic or anything and serves to show Sakura's relationship with motherhood and being a doctor right now in her life so you can skip it if it makes you uncomfortable. It ends at the "~~"</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ever since that mission, when Kisa died, a flame was lit under Jin’s ass. Not only was his medical training getting more intense, but his combat improved astronomically. Sakura found herself actually trying against him now, although he still never got a hit in. </p><p>“Woah!” Kakashi caught a girl who was training with a partner. It was Nika. She was captain at the base during the mission. She was strong, smart, and reliable, so fainting during some simple training was concerning. Especially since Kakashi and Sakura were leaving in a few days and Kakashi had recommended her as captain. </p><p>Sakura heard the commotion and helped Kakashi take her to the med bay, “I’m fine,” she started to come to. </p><p>Kakashi laid her on the table as Sakura started her examination, “Nika, you work harder than anyone else in this base, but even so, you shouldn’t be fainting while training just let me-” her heart sank. “Captain, I need you to step out now.”</p><p>All he saw was Sakura looking worried and the look of guilt on Nika’s face. He almost protested, but he would have to trust the doctor. “I’ll be right outside. Just call me in when you need me.” He waved before walking out the door. </p><p>“Who is it?”</p><p>“Yuji,” Nika scrunched up and put her head between her knees, “I don’t know what happened. I was careful.”</p><p>This was the last thing Sakura wanted to deal with before leaving, but she was glad it was her and not Jin. There was protocol for this, and as good-hearted, as Jin was, he would follow it without question this early on in his career. “Birth control fails, Nika. I have to tell the captain, but if you were to miscarry, he’d just have to bench you for a week while you recover. It’s common this early on,” her voice was cold. The girl was up for a huge promotion. Female ANBU who got pregnant were sent home and kicked out. Technically the father was too if they stepped up. In all honesty, it was a good policy, no one in ANBU should have a family, but still, it didn’t favor the woman. </p><p>“Are you telling me I’m miscarrying?” She started to panic. </p><p>Sakura sighed, “No. Your pregnancy is healthy, but that could change any day. Especially if it was helped along,” she looked deep into the scared girl’s eyes. “You have until tomorrow to decide. Just come find me,” she touched the agent’s shoulder. “I won’t tell the captain anything yet, but would you like me to send Ryo in?” </p><p>“No,” the girl collected herself, “Do it. Right now.”</p><p>Of course, she had conflicting feelings about giving a young woman an abortion. With her history, it was complicated. But even before ANBU, she was a doctor first. Whatever served her patient best is what she would do. “Lie down,” Nika did as instructed, putting on her bravest face, “It’s going to hurt a little, and for the rest of the week, I want you to rest and eat easy foods, understand?” The girl nodded. It looked like if she spoke, she would start crying. “You’re a brave girl Nika,” Sakura could feel the body of cells that were forming inside her, and like that, they were gone. </p><p>Nika winced before relaxing into the table, “Can I have a moment?” Her lip was quivering. </p><p>“Yeah, take your time. I’ll make sure no one comes by here for the next hour. This stays between you, me, and the captain, okay?” Again Nika nodded, tears streaming down her cheek. Outside Kakashi was still there leaning against the wall. “No one comes to med bay the next couple of hours, okay?”</p><p>“Sure,” his eyes narrowed, “Is Nika okay?” </p><p>Sakura looked around before pulling him into an empty room. “Nika was pregnant.”</p><p>“Was?”</p><p>She would have to word this very carefully, “Yes, during my examination, I found she was pregnant, but once you left, she miscarried. She needs a week of bed rest, but she’ll be fine after that. There’s no reason she should lose her promotion.”</p><p>Once Anko told him that the women in ANBU had an unspoken language, he didn’t know what that meant until now. “Right after I left?” Sakura shook her head calmly, “She won’t lose her promotion. You okay?” </p><p>Now Sakura’s lip was quivering, her forehead pressed against his chest to hide her face. “Yeah,” it was almost a squeal. And the two stood there for what felt like forever until Sakura pulled herself together enough to go back in to check on her patient. </p><p>~~</p><p>While the last couple of days weren’t ideal, both Kakashi and Sakura were sad to leave. But Kakashi felt good leaving it in Nika’s hands. She loved this base and these men, which was clear and would do an excellent job of leading them. Sakura wanted Jin to come back to Konoha to work in the hospital, but he insisted this is where he needed to be, which Sakura understood. </p><p>Sakura hadn’t regretted what she did to Nika. It’s what she wanted, not everyone wanted to be a mother as badly as she did, but it still hurt. And Kakashi knew it, the train ride home, she just stared out the window. Not focusing on anything and giving only vague one-word answers to any questions. There was a stop at Yamaguchi station, a little over halfway to Konoha. “Grab your bag,” Kakashi stood up, grabbing his.</p><p>“Why?” She stood up, holding hers. </p><p>“Do you trust me?” he held out his hand.</p><p>Sakura wasn’t sure how to answer that, “I guess…” They walked off the train, there was a five-minute break so passengers could stretch their legs, but Kakashi started to walk off. “You coming?” He looked back once he realized Sakura wasn’t following him. </p><p>“Where are you going?” She ran to catch up with him, “The train’s going to leave soon.”</p><p>“Sorry Ibikki, I got lost finding the bathroom at the station, so Sakura had to come to find me, and we missed the train,” he said in a mocking tone, “good thing we had our bags with us.” He grinned, and his voice went back to normal, “Come on. There’s a hotel nearby. Let’s go have some fun.”</p><p>She did trust him, not just with her life, but maybe more importantly, her happiness. </p><p>~~</p><p> </p><p>The hotel had a bar next door to it, so the two went down for a drink. Sakura wished she had something cuter than black pants and a tank top, but Kakashi assured her it was still hot. She rolled her eyes, “How did you know about this place?”</p><p>He was hoping she wouldn’t ask, “A friend met up with me here a while ago.”</p><p>“A girl? Did you have a hook up here?” She snickered, “Don’t be so bashful about it.”</p><p>“And don’t you assume. It wasn’t a girl,” he smirked and left her to dwell on that while he grabbed a drink. </p><p>Sakura joined him at the bar, “You going to tell me about him?”</p><p>“No,” he leaned in close to her ear, “But do you like the idea of me with another man?” Teasing before taking another drink. </p><p>“Shut up,” she punched his arm, “As fun as a threesome sounds, I like you all to myself. I’m selfish like that.”</p><p>It was nice, whatever this was—being out with Sakura, away from anything that resembled responsibility. Maybe he could convince her to quit ANBU and just travel the country for a few years with him. Probably not though, “Yeah, I am too.” </p><p>They just sat at the bar and talked about the lodge, what going home would be like, nothing exciting, but they both laughed while they did. He was right. This was fun. The longer they were there, the more the bar filled up, there was a dance floor that started to fill up, and it became harder to hear each other. The last time Kakashi was here, it wasn’t this loud. But that was almost twenty years ago. Damn, he was old. </p><p>“Alright, ladies and gents,” the man at the DJ booth called out as they rolled out a pull-up bar, “It’s time for the pull-up challenge. Whoever can do the most pull-ups gets the 5,000 Ryo cash prize.”</p><p>They also didn’t use to have whatever this was. Smart business move ultimately, get the crowd excited, girls drooling over guys which feeds their egos and ultimately made people want to stay longer to socialize. Still, a little flashy for Kakashi’s taste, “Hey Sakura, do you just want to head out?”</p><p>“Hell no, I’m winning that Ryo,” she looked like she was going in for the kill.</p><p>From the look on her face, he wasn’t even sure promising to eat her out was going to convince her to leave. “Alright, just go easy on them,” at least it would be good entertainment. He turned around in his seat, his back to the bar. </p><p>Sakura wasn’t the only girl in line, but she was last. Somehow he knew that was a purposeful choice. By the time it got to her, the number to beat was twenty-three, even at forty-one, Kakashi could top that in his sleep, but he was quite sure Sakura could smoke him. The other girls in line didn’t do badly, but Sakura was much smaller than them, there were a few laughs as she headed up to the bar. Too short to reach, she asked for a stool, to which the DJ obliged, all of them snickering more. Little did they know she could have easily jumped up. Sixty, she did sixty without breaking a sweat. Probably could have done more, but obviously, she was bored. </p><p>“Well, uh, I guess,” he looked at the clipboard that had the sign-ups on it, “Sakura Haruno is our winner. Actually, she set a record, congratulations.” The whole bar cheered as she collected the money and almost skipped back to her seat at the bar. </p><p>“Four shots, please,” Sakura put the money down. </p><p>The bartender just smiled, “On the house, ma’am, that was impressive,” he poured the shots and put them in front of the pair.</p><p>“You seem happy with yourself,” he turned back around and took the first shot with her. </p><p>“Oh, I am,” handed him the next one, “Take this and come dance with me.”</p><p>Cute how she thought getting him drunk would work. “I’ll take it,” and he did, “but I’m forty-one Sakura, I think you forget that sometimes. But you should go have fun. I’ll wait for you.”</p><p>“One song,” she took her second shot and grabbed his hand, “Besides, you look max thirty-five,” she was telling the truth. He did look young for his age. “Do you trust me?” She started to lead him onto the floor. </p><p>The last time Kakashi had danced, it was at the beginning of being Hokage. Mei got drunk at some function, he couldn’t remember what for, and forced him to dance with her. She also proposed, but Mei usually did when she drank. But the music was very different. So was the dancing itself. It wasn’t stiff and rigid like he was used to. It was… provocative, to say the least. </p><p>Sakura took his hands and put them on her waist while she faces away from him. Her ass grinded against him while she guided his hands up and down her curves. This was way better. “Is this what the kids call dancing nowadays?” his voice was smooth. He was starting to get into it.</p><p>“Yeah, still think you’re too old for it?” she moved his hand to her breast. He looked around, no one seemed to notice, or if they did, they didn’t care. In fact, he saw this one girl reach down some guy’s pants. </p><p>If the kids were doing it. He lowered his hand to the hem of her shirt, bringing it back up this time underneath. It had been a few days since he got to feel her like this. “Oh, I’m entirely too old for this, but it’s a lot more fun than how my friends and I danced at your age.”</p><p>“Show me sometime?” He gave a mumbled that she supposed meant yes before going for her neck, expecting kisses. She was happily surprised at the sucking she felt instead. “You talk about being too old, then try to give me a hickey?” </p><p>The song ended, and Kakashi grabbing her hand, pulling her out of the bar, “You said one song,” he pulled her in front of him and slapped her ass, “if you don’t hurry, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make it to the room.”</p><p>Sakura bit her bottom lip, hurrying out. </p><p>“Fuck,” Kakashi slammed Sakura against the ally wall between the bar and hotel. He had never been much of an exhibitionist, but he wasn’t sure what he was into anymore since sleeping with Sakura. </p><p>Taking a page out of the girl at the bar’s book, he unbuttoned her hand and shoved his hand down, swirling his fingers on her clit. Sakura wrapped her arms around his next, “I missed you touching me like this.”</p><p>It was that desperation in her voice whenever his hands were on her that made sex with her different, hotter. He undid his pants, “Touch me,” he whispered. </p><p>There was nothing in this world Sakura hated more than a man telling her what to do, but when Kakashi did it, she listened, almost on instinct. He was hard, but she could tell back to the dance floor. “Fuck me,” she whimpered. </p><p>“Say please.”</p><p>“Please,” and with that, Kakashi pulled down her pants and lifted her up, her back resting against the wall. It wasn’t the most comfortable angle, but he needed to be inside of her. His fingers dug into the underside of her thighs as he thrust into her, cursing under his breath each time. “Captain, the wall hurts,” he looked up, wondering if he should stop, but she saw the grin forming on her face. </p><p>Their red, yellow safe word still applied, so he grinned back at her, “We’ll stop when I’m done. Just hang on a little longer for me,” he lightly bit her breast through her shirt. “God, do you know what you do to me?” his head pressed against her chest. He could feel himself getting close.</p><p>Sakura held onto him tighter, “tell me.”</p><p>“You drive me absolutely insane, make me incredibly horny, and…” he tried to hang on at least long enough to finish his sentence, but no such luck. “And not going to lie, I think you make me dumber.”</p><p>He set her down, “Should I be insulted by that last one?” She looked around to see if anyone had caught them. There was no one she could see, which was a bit of a relief.</p><p>“No, I just mean I do stupid things like dance and have sex in an alleyway. These are things I did when I was a depressed twenty year old looking for a reason to live,” he half-joked, “Really thought I grew out of that.”</p><p>“Come on,” she just smiled at the comment and headed towards the hotel, “I didn’t get to finish, you know.” They should miss the train more often. Sakura couldn’t remember the last time she had this much fun.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Lol sort of a date for valentine's day??? More them playing hooky from work but either way. A bar that everyone went to when I was in college did a version of this once and this tiny girl who did crossfit won and that's where I got the idea. Not important to the story but there you go. Happy V day and stay safe!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ibikki was annoyed that they came back a day late but didn’t feel like putting in the effort to scold them too much for it. “I know you two just got back, but I have a mission for you. There’s a formal event to officiate some big trade deal between the Land of Fire and Land of Lightning daimyo in three days. Given what we just learned about a terrorist plot, I’ve recommended it be canceled, but no one listens to me,” he sounded annoyed. </p><p>“Guard duty is easy. We’ll be fine,” Kakashi usually hated doing it, but for Naruto, he almost insisted it be them. </p><p>“Well, kind of. We’ve invited several veterans of the fourth war to establish a serious threat in the room and posted ANBU agents around the building. Still, we’d like some agents undercover to be near the Hokage at all times. It makes the most sense for it to be you two,” he handed them a folder. “This is his schedule for the night. Wear something formal that covers your tattoos.”</p><p>~~</p><p>Suits were never something he would feel comfortable in, he’d rather just be a regular ANBU member, but again, if it was to protect Naruto, he would suck it up. He and Sakura agreed to meet at the venue. He did hope she would take him up on the offer to just move in together. It would make both their lives easier, save them some money, all the practical reasons of course. But she had just changed the subject every time he brought it up.</p><p>For once, Sakura was the late one but not by too much, “Wow,” Kakashi was going to have a hard time watching for terrorists with Sakura dressed like that. </p><p>The dress was long and red, her sleeves down to her wrist, and the neckline plunged just above her breast. “You like it?” she knew he would, and confidently she walked past him so he could see the back.</p><p>It was almost entirely bare, from where her sleeves cut off to just above her ass, the fabric starting again at her sides. First, the sundress, then the kimono but now this dress was his new favorite. He caught up to her and linked his arm with her, “Hey, don’t forget I’m technically your date.”</p><p>This was true. It was the best way to stay together next to Naruto. But it would probably cause a stir with their friends. Hopefully, Naruto wouldn’t catch on; neither of them wanted him to know about them. But a downside to the dress is that it drew a lot of attention, maybe too much. As they walked in, arms linked, about half of Konoha figured out what was going on between them. </p><p>They saw Ino and Sai first. Ino already had her suspicions, this was just validation. Sai was oblivious, but only because he didn’t care enough to think about it too much. “Your date is hot, Kakashi,” Ino came up and hugged her, “I’m glad you’re home.” </p><p>“She looks very beautiful,” he tried to be as innocent as possible. </p><p>Then there was Shikamaru and Temari. Of course, Shikamaru figured it out before their first ANBU mission. Ibikki did too, but both of them had bigger fish to fry, but it hit Temari. “Uhh, are they?”</p><p>“Yup,” he almost yawned. </p><p>“Wow.”</p><p>“Yup.”</p><p>Ten Ten and Kiba grinned at just how amusing the whole thing was. Lee was working it out in his head, and Genma was in slight denial, choosing to believe for right now that they were just here as friends. Shino and Choji also had figured it out and snickered to the rest of their friends.</p><p>“Kakashi!” He practically came out of nowhere. Guy wheeled in front of him, “You look as youthful as ever,” he gave the couple a thumbs up. “Sakura, you are the very image of spring!” He had also figured it out. </p><p>“Thank you, Guy,” Sakura bent down and kissed his cheek. Causing him to go red. </p><p>“Don’t encourage him,” Kakashi sighed. But before either of them could get another word in Naruto, his family and the two daimyos walked in, leading everyone to go to their seats. Kakashi and Sakura were seated at Naruto’s table, of course with the daimyos. The talk was mostly dull and political. Sakura could see the kids at the table next to them. She would have rather sit with them. </p><p>Hinata was saving both of them though she participated in the other conversation a few times. It didn’t seem like she enjoyed it either. “So,” she knew exactly where they had been the past three months, “You two were gone for a mission for some time, tell me about it.”</p><p>“Well, I think you know about the exciting parts. It was mostly guard duty and training beyond that, nothing much to say,” Kakashi just wanted the night to be over. The suit was uncomfortable. </p><p>“Thank you two, by the way,” she smiled. They all knew she couldn’t say much, everything was confidential, but Hinata couldn’t help it. Her family was safe because of them. </p><p>Sakura put her hand on Hinata’s, “of course. Anything for you and Naruto.”</p><p>“Kakashi,” the Fire daimyo interrupted, “I didn’t know you got yourself a girlfriend.” There was something Sakura didn’t like about this guy. Not in the suspected terrorist kind of way but in the ‘talking about her like she wasn’t there’ way. </p><p>Naruto interjected, “Nah, Sakura was on the same team as Kakashi and I. We're all just friends,” he gave them a big grin. </p><p>The look on Hinata’s face almost made Sakura laugh. She had never seen her cringe at something Naruto said, but Hinata was smart and had her suspicions a while ago about their relationship. “That’s right,” Sakura looked at the daimyo, “just friends.”</p><p>“Yup,” Kakashi sat back into his chair. He wasn’t sure if he liked the way his daimyo was looking at her. Not that he was Sakura’s type, out of shape, snobbish and old. Well, old might be her type, but he had twenty years on Kakashi. </p><p>“Ah, I remember now, you trained under Tsunade, the top medic in Konoha,” even Naruto didn’t like his tone, “very impressive.”</p><p>To everyone’s relief, the Lightning Daimyo stepped in, “Come on, my friend. I want to leave early tomorrow morning, and there are still a couple of details I want to speak to you about.” He stood up and placed his hand on his shoulder. </p><p>“Fine,” he stood up, “Save me a dance, Ms. Haruno.”</p><p>Well, she was going to need like fifty showers later tonight. Once they were out of earshot, Naruto apologized. “It’s fine. I know I’m here to protect you guys, but…”</p><p>Hinata stepped in, “I won’t let that man get within twenty feet of you.”</p><p>“Yeah, maybe we should have just told him you were my girlfriend,” he wasn’t kidding. </p><p>After dinner, music started playing, and Naruto dragged Hinata on the dancefloor, not that she seemed to mind. It was very sweet and made all the more adorable when Boruto and Himawari crashed, but it also made Sakura want to drink, too bad she was working. “After we’re done here, buy me a drink.”</p><p>“Come on,” Kakashi stood up and held out his hand, “We’re supposed to be watching them. Let’s get closer. Besides, I told you I’d show you how we used to dance back in the day.” </p><p>Sakura grinned and took his hand, “Alright,” she never thought she’d see the day when Kakashi willingly danced. “I forgot to tell you I think the suit looks good,” she brushed his tie with her finger, but I still prefer the ANBU uniform.”</p><p>“You and me both,” he put his hand on her waist and, with his other hand held hers, “You look good in the ANBU vest but not going to lie, I like this dress more.”</p><p>“I picked it with you in mind, you know,” she was starting to get sheepish, “I think you like me in red.”</p><p>There was a surprise, “I’m flattered, and your right, I do.” He leaned in closer to her, “So how does my dancing compare to yours?”</p><p>“It’s fine, I guess, but I still prefer mine, though,” she smirked, “it’s sexier. This is pretty boring.”</p><p>He was hoping she would say that. His hand moved from her side to her back, just above where the back opening ended, and pulled her closer, almost no room in between them. Genma had to admit defeat. Like this, he towered over her, looking down intensely, “So,” she could feel his fingertips press into her back, “still boring?”</p><p>A long time ago, she had gone through training to keep her heartbeat slow and steady, but it was really failing her right now. “No,” something about everyone staring at them made it somehow even hotter. They were probably putting on quite the show for their friends. </p><p>“Wow, they’re really taking their undercover mission seriously. They look like they’re actually dating!” Naruto chuckled, looking back at his wife. </p><p>It was cute how oblivious Naruto could be. It was part of what she found so endearing about him. Sooner or later, he would figure it out, just not tonight. “Yes, they certainly are,” she kissed his cheek. </p><p>The evening went smoothly, but of course, it did. Attacking the Hokage and his family would be insane without any security, but in a room full of elite ninjas who love him and staff by half of ANBU was walking into a slaughter. Luckily once the Fire Daimyo came back, every time he tried to get close to Sakura, Naruto and Hinata would send one of their kids over. Boruto, usually, would try to sneak attack her. But Himawari helped too, wanting to dance with her aunty Sakura. She and Kakashi only danced to that one song. She was trying to be professional, but him touching her like that was making her want to drag him in the bathroom. </p><p>Towards the end of the night, Naruto came up to her, “Hey Sakura, I’m going to escort the Daimyo’s to their hotel room and then get home. Ibikki said, you two are free to go, thanks again,” he gave her a small hug. </p><p>“Of course, Naruto,” she hugged him back. She saw Hinata carrying a sleeping Himawari and dragging Boruto away from the dessert table. “Tell your wife I say bye. She looks busy.”</p><p>“Yeah,” he pulled away and waved at Kakashi as well, “I’ll see you two later.”</p><p>Naruto ran off, but Sakura caught the Daimyo blowing a kiss to her. It made her cringe. “Hey,” Ten-Ten came up to her, “A few of us are going to go grab some drinks at a bar. You should come! Kakashi too,” she grinned, “So how long has that been going on?” Her tone became more hushed. </p><p>Sakura rolled her eyes, “We’ll talk later, but sure, Kakashi owes me a drink anyways.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“We couldn’t drink because technically we were working security for Naruto and the Fire Daimyo kept hitting on me,” she pouted, “it was gross.”</p><p>Kakashi came up from behind the two girls, “Actually, you told me to buy you a drink. I never agreed to anything but sure.”</p><p>Ten Ten looked nervous. He snuck up on her, something she wasn’t used to. “Sounds good,” she caught her breath, “Same place as usual,” she waved headed out the door. </p><p>“So can we be fashionably late?” he leaned in, placing a hand on her waist. </p><p>Sakura groaned, “I’m sorry, I just don’t feel very sexy right now.”</p><p>A shame because that dress was the sexiest thing he had ever seen, “You okay?”</p><p>“Yeah, that guy just made me feel gross, and it’s hitting me that we weren’t really discreet about being together… I don’t know, I’m sorry,” she lowered her head, “I think I’m just going to grab a drink and head to bed.”</p><p>“Hey,” he lifted her chin, “Let me buy you a drink and walk you home. I’ll beat up anyone who tries to flirt with you. Sound good?”</p><p>“Perfect,” she smiled, kissing his cheek. She should be more careful, but she had a sense that everyone knew already. </p><p>~~</p><p>It was nice, all of the shinobi without children, everyone was dressed up and having a good time. Guy and Kakashi were consumed in an overly competitive game of darts while Sakura filled Ten Ten in on the past few months of her life, plus the Kakashi part, but Ten-Ten decided to let it go for now. A guy came up to ask Ten Ten to dance, to which Sakura gave her blessing. </p><p>“So,” Genma came up almost like a hawk, “You and Hatake?”</p><p>In the distance, she could see Genma’s date staring daggers at her. “Kakashi’s my friend and a good captain. I’m not with anyone Genma, but it looks like you are,” she glanced over. </p><p>“I told her I just wanted to say hi, but hey,” he was a little drunk but trying to be serious, “Whatever you do with him is your business, but a little birdie told me you were stationed at the lodge, and I know that place gets intense. Are you doing okay? Like really?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she gave him her best reassuring smile. Genma could be an obnoxious playboy, but he was a sweet and caring guy to his core, “I’m okay. It wasn’t an easy place to live, but I needed it, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”</p><p>As much as he still wished she picked him, not Kakashi, as long as she was happy, so was he. “Alright, just checking, glad you’re doing well. I better get back to my date, but…” he grinned, “For old times sake?”</p><p>The handshake. They had made it up when they were bored on a mission. It was overly complicated and dumb but fun. It was like old times. She was cracking up as they did it, every hand slap and spin. At the end of it, though, she saw his date come up looking pissed. “Hey, I’m-” Sakura tried to introduce herself. Her and Genma talking was very innocent, but she could see why it would make her nervous. But a hard hand to her cheek ruined that. </p><p>“You fucking slut!” The whole bar just stared at the two. </p><p>“Shit,” Kakashi mumbled. Sakura was going to kill that girl, but she walked away before he could get to her. The other girl tried to stop her, but Genma interfered, looking to Kakashi to make sure Sakura was okay. “Hey,” he tried to grab her hand as she walked out, but she pulled away. </p><p>They walked in silence for a few moments. Her cheek still stung. It had been a while since someone got such a clean shot on her. Finally, she stopped to take off her heels, “I want to punch something,” she glared. </p><p>“Uh well, you can punch me, I guess,” he took off his suit jacket. </p><p>“No, I want to punch her,” she grumbled, “But I can’t, can I?”</p><p>“No,” he pulled her into a hug, “I’m quite sure you would kill her, even if you didn’t try. Come on. I told you I’d walk you home.”</p><p>The slap wasn’t pleasant, but the slut comment got to her. “I’m not a slut, am I?”</p><p>“No,” he kissed the top of her head, “Of course you’re not. She was just jealous and a little drunk. Do you think you are?”</p><p>“Maybe. Sometimes,” she pulled away from him, “Can I stay at your house tonight?”</p><p>“Of course,” he took her hand as they walked down the street, “You don’t have to answer me, but why do you think that?”</p><p>Sakura just shrugged, “I’ve slept with a lot of guys…”</p><p>He just chuckled, “That doesn’t make you a slut Sakura, it makes you someone who likes sex but doesn’t want a relationship. You’re doing just fine,” he squeezed her hand. </p><p>The rest of the walk was nice. The sky was clear and the moon bright. She didn’t date or like relationships, but whatever she had with Kakashi, everything felt perfect. But a part of her felt guilty, he made her feel safe and supported, but it was always her relying on him. “Why do you want to live with me?” She had wanted to ask that for a while.</p><p>“Well, we’re gone a lot, we both have a lot of injuries, and it’s easier to take care of them with another person there. It just makes sense, you know? Seemed dumb that we were both paying rent while we were at the lodge.” These were the reasons he told himself might convince her, but he didn’t know why he wanted to live with her so much, in all honesty.</p><p>“Rent, huh?” She wasn’t ready quite yet for that step, but it was becoming a more and more attractive offer.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>While they're at the dinner and everyone is figuring it out I imagine that lightbulb thing that happens in the first episode of Ouran High School host club, does anyone know what I mean? And poor Naruto, too sweet and pure but don't worry he'll find out soon enough! </p><p>Thanks for reading and everyone stay safe and warm!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Chapter 20</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was Boruto’s twelfth birthday. Sakura was glad she got to be home for it. She did love the squirt, even if he was annoying. Naruto and Hinata would probably hate her, but she brought him a set of kunai, nice ones. But she at least did a solid of giving Hinata a heads up, and she assured Sakura that Boruto was too afraid of her to use them irresponsibly in the house. Apparently, there was an incident earlier that week involving a broken vase that made Hinata confident of Boruto’s good behavior. Hinata could be scary when she wanted. Kakashi was also there. He bought him some new video game but had been completely taken over by Himawari, who wanted to do his hair. </p><p>Hinata and Naruto called it a night, putting the kids to bed leaving the two alone in the living room. “Will you take these out for me? It hurts when I do it,” Kakashi pointed to his head. </p><p>“Big bad ANBU captain can’t deal with some hair ties?” She pointed before sitting him down in a chair. “Are you sure you want to take it out? I think you look good.”</p><p>Kakashi hummed, looking up, “Yes, I’m sure. Remember when you used to put flowers in my hair?”</p><p>“Well, you used to fall asleep in fields during missions. It beats Naruto drawing on your face,” she put his head back down to finish taking the ties out. “So your place after this?”</p><p>“Yeah, but why never your place? Not that I mind, but I’ve always been curious,” he patiently sat, now waiting for her answer. </p><p>She sighed and sat down in the chair next to his, “Don’t judge me.”</p><p>This couldn’t be good, “Okay, what’s up?”</p><p>“I might have moved the bed Sasuke, and I shared in my room. It just feels wrong to…” she felt herself getting self-conscious, not something she was used to. </p><p>“Well,” how long had she been living like this? It seemed like the more he learned about her, the more he realized how broken she had become. “That’s not healthy.”</p><p>She hid her face in her hands, “I know.”</p><p>There was an awkward silence. Most of the unhealthy habits he had learned about her he understood to a certain extent, but he was at a loss on this one. “You should probably get rid of it. I don’t think that keeping it is good for you,” usually, he wasn’t one to butt in on someone’s personal life, even if he was close to them, but this seemed like a notable exception. </p><p>“Yeah,” she relaxed into the chair, “probably should.”</p><p>“Probably should what?” Naruto walked out of Himawari’s room. </p><p>“Nothing, we were just joking around. Are the kids asleep?” Sakura asked. </p><p>Naruto nodded, “Yeah. Boruto idolizes you two,” he shook his head, “I was supposed to be the cool one.”</p><p>“Aww, Naruto,” she went over to her friend and slapped him on his back. Hard. “You were never the cool one. That was Sasuke,” there was an awkward moment of silence. One Sakura was getting sick of. She hated pretending like he didn’t exist; he did. “Just because he’s dead doesn’t mean we can’t talk about him,” she muttered under her breath. </p><p>“You’re right, Sakura,” Hinata walked in. “It took a long time to talk about Neiji, but it’s good to remember people who aren’t with us anymore. I always thought you were cool dear,” she went and kissed her husband’s cheek, “But if I remember correctly, Sakura,” she pointed with her eyes, “You, Ino, and Ten Ten also thought Kakashi was rather cool when we were young.”</p><p>Sakura went red. She forgot about that. “What?” Kakashi leaned in, “Sakura, what’s she talking about.”</p><p>“I liked it better when you were shy,” Sakura glared. Hinata just giggled. If those two were going to sneak around, they deserved a little grief. “Well, we might have had a list… but we were sixteen.”</p><p>“Oh, the jonin list?” Naruto recalled. </p><p>“What is the jonin list?” It had been a while since Kakashi had been this excited. </p><p>Sakura had never wanted to kill Hinata before, “It was a list of the hottest jonin. Also, I voted against your spot.”</p><p>“You were number one, Kakashi!” Naruto finally remembered, “I completely forgot about that.”</p><p>“Naturally,” he sat back in his chair, “I was quite the looker back then.” Sakura rolled her eyes. It had been a long time since she had gotten to hang out and joke around with Naruto and Kakashi like this. She missed her team, seven family.</p><p>~~</p><p>“Fuck,” the word escaped Kakashi’s mouth, his hands squeezing Sakura’s thighs. He had her sitting on his kitchen table, his tongue deep down her throat. They could both agree sex in the village wasn’t either of their favorites, although they never discussed why but it didn’t mean it wasn’t good. There was a knock at the door. “Ignore it,” he growled, his hand moving up her shirt. </p><p>But before either of them could get further, the door busted down, “Sakura!” Ino stormed in, Kakashi standing in between her legs, his shirt off. “God damn it, Kakashi put on a damn shirt,” she rested her forehead in her hand, “After that, I need to talk to Sakura. Can you give us some privacy?” </p><p>He looked at Sakura then at Ino. He almost protested because this was his house, but he wasn’t about to argue with a master of psychological torture. “Right. Uh, you two have fun, I guess. He grabbed his shirt off the couch and left.”</p><p>“What pig?” Sakura hopped off the table. </p><p>“Uh, are we going to talk about how you’re sleeping with Kakashi? And you didn’t tell me!” Ino’s face got red. </p><p>Sakura went to the kitchen and made tea for them. “What is there to tell? I slept with Kakashi. I slept with Kiba and Genma too. There wasn’t much to say there either,” she poured a cup for the both of them. </p><p>“Okay, you sleeping with Kakashi is different from Genma and Kiba, you know that,” she glared, “Look, it’s fine that you didn’t tell me, I know with my job and Inojin I’ve been all over the place and probably not the most available but are you all right? Like seriously.”</p><p>At first, that question made her mad. Ino didn’t have the right to ask her that. But then again, she did. That’s what best friends were for. So she calmed down and answered, “Yeah, I’m fine. And I guess it’s not entirely the same, but it’s fun. I like it.”</p><p>“Do you like him?” She looked around, “I mean, I came here before going to your apartment. I just knew I would find you here, especially after that dinner,” she scoffed, “Holy shit, I remember when Sai and I were like that. I mean, sometimes we are, but those days are a little farther between.” She laughed and sipped her tea. </p><p>That night, when he held her in that dress, it was extremely hot, “I mean, I guess I like him. I don’t know if it’s that simple, but…”</p><p>“Do you love him?”</p><p>Now that was, unfortunately, a better question. “Well, I love him like I love Naruto. We’re basically family. He was there for me through some rough stuff.”</p><p>“Sakura,” she hummed, “That’s not what I mean. You’re smarter than that.”</p><p>She sighed, “Fine. I love him, but,” she pointed, “it’s different from Sasuke. I don’t know how to describe it honestly.”</p><p>“That’s okay, Sakura,” she put her hand on her friend’s, “Does he make you happy?”</p><p>Now that was something she hadn’t considered, “I mean, he drives me nuts sometimes, but I think so,” she smiled, looking down at her cup, “Sometimes I go to this really dark place where everything feels meaningless, and I think I’ll never stop feeling that way. But then he shows up, and everything gets better. I don’t feel so alone. He asked me to move in, you know.”</p><p>Sakura’s answer put her mind at ease, “That’s the most important thing Sakura. Are you going to do it?”</p><p>She shrugged, “I mean, we've gone so much it does feel dumb to have two places. It would save us a lot on rent,” Ino glared, not buying that part of the argument. “And I would have my own room, but I don’t know it would be weird if I brought another guy home.”</p><p>When they were teenagers, Ino never dreamed those words would come out of her mouth. She was always such a romantic. “How many guys have you slept with since getting with Kakashi.”</p><p>“One,” she winced, “And I hated it.”</p><p>Ino bobbed her head, “Then I don’t think you have to worry about that.”</p><p>~~</p><p>“So, what did Ino want to talk to you about?” Sakura found Kakashi eating at Ichiraku’s. He asked the question before even turning around to acknowledge her. </p><p>Sakura took a seat and ordered herself some ramen, “Why I’m fucking my former teacher and current captain and why I didn’t tell her.” It was a bit aggressive at first, but ultimately the conversation was nice, overdue too. She had been avoiding Ino, she didn’t want to admit it, but it was true. But lately, it had been hard seeing her friend who had a seemingly perfect marriage with a perfect child, the basis of their friendship WAS jealousy. Still, it wasn’t fair to her, or herself for that matter. </p><p>“Ah, what did you say?” He asked between slurps. Ayame and Tenchi were trying not to look like they were eavesdropping but failing miserably. </p><p>“I said because I want to and because I didn’t want to.” It was a simple answer, one she gave as a big bowl of ramen was put in front of her. What wasn’t so simple, though, was Ino’s third question. But Kakashi didn’t need to know about that, not now. </p><p>“Fair enough,” he sat back after finishing his bowl, waiting for Sakura to finish hers. It was dumb, but he couldn’t help but find it adorable when she ate ramen she was always so focused on getting the perfect amount between her chopsticks. But his favorite thing was how while one hand held her chopsticks, the other worked diligently keeping her hair out of her face. </p><p>Lost in watching her eat, his trance was broken by a side glare of Sakura’s eye, “What are you looking at?”  she brought her head up from her bowl. </p><p>Kakashi almost fell out of his chair. What was he looking at? “Oh,” he regained his balance, “Sorry, nothing, I was just deep in thought.”</p><p>“About?” She said between slurps. </p><p>You. Is what he wanted to say. He had liked girls before, but he could honestly say he had never been so captivated by one eating ramen. Sakura was really doing something to him. “Oh, you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Is Ino still at my house?”</p><p>“Our house,” Sakura corrected. </p><p>Before Kakashi could respond, Ayame dropped a glass she was holding, staring at the two, “Sorry!” She quickly swept it up, but the two noticed she was moving slowly, probably to stay within earshot. </p><p>Ignoring the fact that they were being spied on, Kakashi continued, “So you’re moving in?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she slurped up her final noodles, “I’m moving in. But only while we're both in ANBU, if one or both of us leaves, I’m getting my own place. It just sucked paying rent while we were stationed.”</p><p>“Right,” Kakashi leaned against the counter, “Only while we’re in ANBU.” Sakura didn’t drink the broth like him, and Naruto did. She had once told him it was too salty, and she liked sweet things. He was never one for sweets himself, but he did like kissing her.</p><p>~~</p><p>“You talk to Ino yet?” Sakura had come to Shikamaru’s office to register a new address. Usually, in Konoha, when you moved addresses, there was paperwork to fill out, to keep track of everyone, but she didn’t want too many people to find out, plus she hated paperwork. She was hoping Shikamaru would be discreet and maybe do all the work for her. </p><p>“I talked to her yesterday. Why?” </p><p>“Because she came to my house bitching about how you don’t talk to her anymore. She got so drunk Sai had to carry her home, and Temari made me supervise a sleepover. It was a drag,” Shikamaru grabbed the forms Sakura was avoiding, “just like this is.”</p><p>Sakura took the ribbing. He was doing her a solid after all. “Well, we talked it out, so no need to worry about it. I told her I was sorry and what was going on in my life. I think she’s still worried about me being in ANBU, but not much she can do about it.”</p><p>“She’s not the only one, Sakura,” He filled out her name, “Naruto complains every time you’re assigned a mission. Where are you moving?” Hopefully, Shikamaru wasn’t so smart that he’d recognize Kakashi’s address as she gave it to him. He was. Giving it away by a small pause and a glare. “Really?”</p><p>“What,” Sakura crossed her arms, “Do you have a problem with it?”</p><p>Shikamaru shook his head, “No, I don’t. I’m not like Ino and Naruto, do whatever you want. You’re an adult. It was just surprising, that’s all.”</p><p>Sakura rolled her eyes, “Why? I’m sure you knew about us.”</p><p>“Not that part. I’ve known you guys were sleeping together since you came back from your first mission. I just mean the moving in type. Never thought it was that serious.” He went ahead, finishing the paperwork.</p><p>As much as Sakura wanted to interject, it was only for convenience's sake and that she had her own room. Something told her Shikamaru wouldn’t be fooled. But then she asked herself, what was she trying to fool Shikamaru about? </p><p>“Hey, I have a question,” Shikamaru just looked up, waiting for her to continue, “After Naruto’s wedding, Ibikki asked you to join ANBU. Why didn’t you?” It was always something she was curious about, even more so since she joined. However, she wasn’t entirely sure why it was coming up now. </p><p>Shikamaru just scoffed, “Funny you would ask that. It was your boyfriend who talked me out of it.”</p><p>While she wanted to punch him in the face for that boyfriend comment, she was more intrigued by the other part. “What do you mean?”</p><p>He thought it was funny she didn’t correct him even though she looked pissed. “I was trying to decide what to do when Kakashi called me into his office. He sat me down and asked me if I wanted to keep Temari in my life. Obviously, I said yes, and then he told me that I have to decide what was more important, love or the ANBU, because it was almost impossible to have both. Then he played hardball, asking me if I remember how Kurenai looked after Asuma’s death.”</p><p>“Shit,” Sakura whispered. </p><p>“Yeah. But he was right, so I didn’t join,” he shrugged. </p><p>Sakura thought for a moment, “Why didn’t Ibikki ask Temari to join? She’s way more of a badass than you are.”</p><p>Snickering, he answered, “Yeah, I agree, but I don’t know if my wife, who was born and raised in another country where her brother is the Kazekage is the best choice for Konoha black ops. Conflict of interest. Besides, she wanted to be a mother.”</p><p>“Oh.” Usually, when people commented about being married or parents in front of her, they got awkward. Sometimes they even apologized. But Shikamaru just went and finished the form. “Yeah, motherhood and the ANBU don’t really mix.”</p><p>“Nope,” he handed her the form, “How’s it look?”</p><p>Sakura scanned the paper, not really paying attention. Shikamaru took note that she didn’t realize his “mistake.” “Fine,” she handed it back. </p><p>“Kakashi is a good guy, smart too. You guys are good together.”</p><p>“He is,” she smiled, “And I mean, it’s not like we’re in a relationship, but thanks. I appreciate that.”</p><p>“Okay, now get out of my office. I’m busy.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I love Shikamaru I should include him more, he's such a fucking mood. Anyways hope everyone is having a good day and thanks for reading and if you comment thanks in advance! You guys are awesome!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There were several explosions being set off while the two hid between a metal table, barricading themselves behind it. “Alright, I'm going to draw their line of fire to me. You grab the scrolls and get out of here.” There were some concerns about the plan, but this was her captain. She had to trust him as much as he trusted her. </p><p>These scrolls contained top secret information from Suna to the Leaf, and since they had been opened, everyone who read them had to die. They had been picking off members of this group the past week when they were the most vulnerable, but now the remaining members were on alert and ready to flee, so they had to act. Running out, Kakashi immediately hit one of the guys with lightning, but there were still two more guys to deal with. One girl and one man, they had figured out, were the leader and right-hand man of the whole operation. They would also be the most difficult to bring down. While fighting the two of them, Sakura darted to the chest that they had seen the scrolls thrown in, opening it quickly before running out, drawing the attention of the woman, taking some of the pressure off Kakashi. </p><p>The woman was much faster than her Sakura was stronger and much smarter. Slipping the scrolls into her pant pockets, she pulled out her sword. Training with Kakashi, she had really taken to a short sword style of fighting. It suited her. She got to punch people but with a point thing at the end. While the speed was hard to keep up with, Sakura's movements were almost always correct in where her opponent would end up, only sustaining a few hits. However, she had learned that when you rely on speed, you also tire out quickly, and once her movements slowed down, Sakura took her opening, overpowering her before plunging the sword into her chest. </p><p>“Kimiko!” The man fight Kakashi shouted. </p><p>“Tell him I love him,” the woman smiled before fading away, Sakura kicking her off her sword. </p><p>“Aki, leave with the scrolls!” Kakashi shouted. The man became more erratic in his movements, obviously upset and angry, trying to get past Kakashi to get to her. Sakura quickly disappeared. Her being there made it more difficult for Kakashi to fight him, and they still had to secure the scrolls. </p><p>But as Sakura ran out of the warehouse, the group was hiding in. She remembered the most important lesson Kakashi had ever taught her. Getting into the room, through the skylight, she could see Kakashi losing. His movements were slower than usual. That’s when she saw the blood dripping after every step Kakashi took. He had been wounded, badly if this is how he was fighting. </p><p>Wrapping her hand in a cloth, Sakura punched the glass, shattering it completely and dropping in on top of the man, landing by grabbing his neck with her legs. Before he had a chance to react, Sakura snapped his neck, whispering the woman's message as she did. She hopped off as he dropped. </p><p>“Let me look at you,” she quickly rushed to Kakashi’s side. There was a massive gash on his side and bruises all over his torso. Using her chakra, she realized his spleen was punctured. He was losing blood fast. </p><p>“It’s okay,” he started bleeding faster now that his adrenaline was wearing off, “I’m perfectly-” But he crashed in her arms before he could finish. </p><p>~~</p><p>“Sakura Haruno here to see Kakashi Hatake,” Sakura ran up to the hospital desk. The spleen filtered blood, puncturing it meant bleeding out fast. After doing a patch job, she carried him all the way home, her hands bloodied and in pain from punching the glass. All of her chakra was depleted, so Sakura collapse as soon as she set Kakashi down. Finally she came to, only to find out Kakashi had been in surgery. </p><p>“Forget it, Sakura, they’re only letting family in, I‘m Hokage, and they’re having me wait out here,” Naruto looked down at the floor. If he wanted to, he could force his way in, but that wasn’t the kind of man he was.</p><p>With a similar look of defeat, Sakura went to take a seat next to her friend. But before she could sit down, the woman at the desk called her over, “Oh, we have it on our records that you’re Mr. Hatake’s wife. You can go in.”</p><p>“Huh!?” Naruto and Sakura looked at each other. Both were mortified at what they had just been told. “Are you and sensei married?” </p><p>“Of course not!” Sakura’s heart started pounding, “There’s been a mistake,” turning back to the woman, “It says I’m his wife?”</p><p>The woman, reading that she had struck a nerve, quickly looked back to the records, “Uh yeah, says here you two are married, live at the same residence, the only thing is that neither of you changed your name, but that’s becoming more common nowadays. Should I…” The woman was a little afraid to say anymore, “Should I let his nursing staff know he’ll have visitors?”</p><p>“You should take advantage of this Sakura, go check on Kakashi-sensei. I’ll call around and see what happened. You still have the same address as always, right?” Naruto already pulled out his phone.</p><p>Before heading to the door, Sakura nervously turned to Naruto, “Actually, I am living with Kakashi right now. But we're not married. Better go check on him!” She said quickly before rushing through the doors, not wanting to talk to Naruto about it, not right now anyway. </p><p>As he watched Sakura dart away, the gears in Naruto’s head started turning. Was something going on between them? </p><p>~~</p><p>“Hey,” Sakura leaned in the doorway, “How are you doing?”</p><p>Kakashi tried to sit up but failed, doubling down into his bed, “Been better, been worse. How are you, wifey?”</p><p>There was a nervous chuckle from Sakura, “So you heard? I swear I don’t know why the records say that.” Cautiously she stepped forward, sitting down in the chair next to his bed. </p><p>“Probably just a clerical error, but I’m glad,” he smiled, reaching his hand out to her, “I was starting to get lonely.”</p><p>Sakura took it, leaning over his face, “Well, I’m glad you’re okay. I was worried, but holy shit, you were heavy.”</p><p>“Sorry,” his voice was getting raspy, “How’s your hand?” He looked down at her, the bandaged arm.</p><p>“I’m fine. It looked way worse than it actually was. I was just a little chakra-depleted. Worry about yourself for once,” moving down softly. She pressed her lips to his forehead. </p><p>~~</p><p>Naruto said the error came from when Sakura changed her address. When he asked why they were living with each other, she said it was because they had so many missions away from the village it just made sense, which was true. And it satisfied Naruto for the time being, but he still had his suspicions.</p><p>“What the hell, Shikamaru?” Sakura stormed into his office, “Why did you write that Kakashi and I were married?”</p><p>“Mistakes happen in government Sakura,” he mused, “I already fixed it.”</p><p>Slamming her hand onto his desk, she leaned in, “You don’t make mistakes.”</p><p>“Next time, maybe you should do your own damn paperwork. Besides, you got to see Kakashi in the hospital, so you’re welcome.” Sakura stepped back, embarrassed at the points he was making. “You should tell Naruto about you two.”</p><p>“We haven’t told anyone,” which was true. They had only confirmed to those who asked, “Besides, there’s not much to tell.”</p><p>Shikamaru raised his brow, “Right… Well, I hope you know that the whole village knows, and the longer you wait, the worse it’ll be.”</p><p>Sakura sighed, “I know. It’s just hard, he’s going to be so mad, and I love Naruto. I don’t want to hurt him.”</p><p>“What’s going to hurt is you two not telling him. The only people he loves more than you two are his wife and children. Just be honest, and he won’t be mad. I think you’re building this up to be more than it is,” Shikamaru was now back to working on his paperwork. </p><p>“You’re being uncharacteristically helpful today,” Sakura noted.</p><p>“Yeah, well, if Naruto gets all mopey, I have to deal with it. Just rip the bandaid off so we can get over the whole thing, alright?” Shikamaru raised his head just high enough to make eye contact for a moment and gave her a small knowing smile. </p><p>Sakura returned it, “Just admit you love all of us, Shika.”</p><p>“Absolutely not.”</p><p>~~</p><p> </p><p>Sakura barging in earlier was a pain. She was so distracting. “Shikamaru!” Naruto swung the door open. All he could do was sigh and hit his head against his desk, “I’m going home!” Behind him was Hinata, who just waved.</p><p>Shikamaru waved back, “You don’t have to yell and knock next time.”</p><p>“Sorry, but hey, I have a question for you,” he looked behind him, “for you too, Hinata. Do you guys think something is going on between Kakashi and Sakura? It’s weird that they’re living with each other. I mean, they said it was to save money which makes sense, I guess, and Kakashi does have two rooms…”</p><p>Shikamaru looked to Hinata for how to respond. She simply shook her head. “Uh, I mean, they haven’t told me anything but maybe?”</p><p>“Honey,” Hinata interjected, “Why don’t you just ask them?”</p><p>“Yeah,” he sighed, “You’re right. It’s probably all in my head anyway. I’m just going to use the restroom, and then we can head out, okay?” He kissed his wife’s cheek before heading to the bathroom. </p><p>The two sat in silence, waiting for Naruto to be out of earshot. “So are we lying to Naruto now too?” </p><p>“No,” she said softly, “I’m not lying, I don’t think they’ve told anyone. They’re just not trying to hide it anymore. Naruto isn’t dumb. If he hasn’t figured it out yet, it’s because he doesn’t want to,” she sighed, “this is something the three of them need to work through.”</p><p>“Yeah, sorry, you’re right,” he probably shouldn’t have accused Hinata of lying to her husband; what she was saying made sense. “So, how long have you known?”</p><p>She thought for a moment, “Well, I’ve had my suspicions. They both come over for dinner every so often, but lately, it’s been different. They’ve been standing closer to each other. But then, before that part with the daimyos, I went with Sakura to buy her dress. I knew Kakashi was her date because they wanted them to be our bodyguards, but when I saw what she wanted to wear in front of him... “ she started to blush, “it was so revealing. I mean, a woman can wear that kind of thing for herself, but something told me she was wearing it for him.”</p><p>“Huh, what makes you say that?” Honestly, he didn’t care this much about Sakura and Kakashi, but maybe he could pick up some tips for how to tell if his wife was wearing something for him. </p><p>“Well…” she turned redder, “it was just the way she talked about it. She kept asking how it looked from every angle. Then she asked me to stand on the step stool to see how she looked if I was taller.”</p><p>“Ah, subtle.”</p><p>Hinata giggled, “Yeah, well, I don’t think she knew she was being so obvious, but that was the final nail in the coffin for me, at least. How long have you know?”</p><p>“Since I watched Kakashi stare at her ass when she walked out of Naruto’s office like six months ago,” Shikamaru rolled his eyes.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>All I have to say is I love Shikamaru. He's such a fucking mood.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. Chapter 22</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Alright, I have Paradise, Violence, Innocence, and Tactics but not the signed copy, the shitty one for reading,” she pulled the books out of her bag. “I also pulled some strings. Since I’m living with you now, the nurses are letting you go home tomorrow, but you have to do everything I say once we get home. You’re still in bad shape.”</p><p>Grabbing the books, he placed them on his bedside table, “You’re an angel. Also, when don’t I do what you say?”</p><p>Sakura just glared, “Don’t.”</p><p>Kakashi chuckled, “But thanks, I hate being here. So are we officially divorced?”</p><p>“Well, we were never officially married. You were always single. It was just my form that said we were married, so when the nurse pulled up my name, it said you were my husband instead of roommates. I think it was Shikamaru getting revenge on me for making him do my paperwork.”</p><p>“Yeah, I wouldn’t get on Shikamaru’s bad side. He’s one scary guy,” he winced at a memory of his Hokage days trying to sneak out of the office early, and he got caught in the shadow Jutsu. </p><p>Knocking on the door, Naruto walked in, “Yeah, he tried to kill one of the Kage’s once. How are you feeling, sensei?”</p><p>“Good but better once I’m out of here. And Naruto, just Kakashi, please,” he had been insisting for years, but Naruto was a bit stubborn. </p><p>Nervously Naruto chuckled, trying to figure out how to best ask his question. “So… uh…”</p><p>Sakura and Kakashi looked at each other. They knew what he was trying to ask. “Naruto, Kakashi, and I are sleeping together. We’re not in a relationship, we haven’t told anyone, and we really are just moving in together since we’re gone so much. Plus, Kakashi can only go home if I’m there to take care of him, and after I got a concussion after that one mission, he took care of me. It really is a practicality thing.”</p><p>“You’re the first person we’ve told, actually,” Kakashi interjected, Naruto wasn’t the first to find out, but they could give him this.</p><p>Naruto was silent, trying to put together everything they had said, “How long?”</p><p>“It hasn’t been long, shortly after I joined ANBU,” Sakura was starting to panic at the lack of emotion on his face.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, Naruto looked over to Kakashi and back at Sakura, “I’m sorry, I’m just not understanding.”</p><p>“Look, Sakura and I are friends like you, and I are friends. We’ve just also been sleeping together for a few months now. That’s really all that’s going on.” Kakashi tried to explain again. Naruto was always a marriage and relationship kind of guy, a friends with benefits situation like what he and Sakura had going on might be difficult for him to grasp. </p><p>“Are you mad?” Sakura felt like her mother was scolding her. </p><p>“No,” he shook his head, “I’m not. If you’re both happy and protecting each other, I’m okay. It’s weird, but I’m not mad.” Naruto collapsed into Sakura, wrapping his arms around her, “You deserve to be happy, Sakura.”</p><p>Crying in front of others was a habit Sakura had grown out of, one she had happily left behind in her youth, but Naruto’s approval meant more to her than she thought. Tears were rolling down her face, “Thank you, Naruto.”</p><p>Naruto had never had a problem crying in front of others, not when they were young and not now. “I love you guys,” he hugged her a little tighter, starting to cry as much as she was. </p><p>“Oh boy,” Kakashi muttered as the two hugged and cried it out in front of him. It was a lot, the two were always so emotional, but it brought a smile to his face to watch them. They hadn’t made it through this world completely unscathed, but if they could still hug and cry like this, he could sleep easier at night. “You guys okay?”</p><p>Breaking away from Sakura, tears still rolling, Naruto jumped to Kakashi’s bedside and hugged him too, “I’m just so relieved you guys are safe.”</p><p>He winced a little but did his best to pat Naruto’s shoulder, “Yeah, buddy, we’re just fine.” Sniffling, Sakura made eye contact with Kakashi, who was signaling for her help to get him off. But Sakura just sat back down in the chair, leaving Kakashi to fend for himself on this one. </p><p>~~</p><p>It had been a week of Sakura taking care of Kakashi, which consisted of Sakura trying to make food, failing, and ordering out. Kakashi trying to sneak in some training only for Sakura to catch at him and give him lectures. And cards, lots of cards. They couldn’t have sex in his condition so go fish would have to suffice. </p><p>There was no way Ibikki would be sending him out anytime soon, and Kakashi knew Ibikki wouldn’t send Sakura out without him. She was invaluable, one of the best agents, but she didn’t always play well with others. He used to be the same way, but ANBU was very different back then. Honestly, Sakura missed her window; she would have loved those days. </p><p>“Hey, I’m meeting with Ibikki today. Would you mind grabbing me groceries while I’m gone?” What a domestic sentence. </p><p>Sakura nodded, her nose deep in a medical book Tsunade had sent her, “Yeah, no problem. Tell Ibikki I’m bored,” she flipped through the pages. </p><p>“Yeah, will do,” As Kakashi got up to leave, he passed by Sakura, patting her head. But before he could take the handoff, Sakura grabbed his wrist, pulling him onto her as she threw the book aside. Her eye contact was oddly intense, “Can I help you?” Their noses were touching as he stood between her legs. “You shouldn’t be so rough with me. I’m recovering, you know.”</p><p>He was right, but she didn’t care. He had had worse. Pressing her lips onto him with her free hand pressed into his jawline. Kakashi wasn’t one to argue; he gave in quickly, pressing his hand against her shoulder, pinning her to the couch. His wrist still in her grasp. Coming out of the kiss, Sakura went back to the bored expression. “Sorry, I just had to make sure I still liked kissing you.”</p><p>The things this girl said sometimes, “And?”</p><p>“Eh, it’s still hotter after coming out of a life or death situation, but,” she picked the book back up, “not bad.” </p><p>“Were you worried you wouldn’t? You had quite the look on your face.” He tried not the be late to meet with Ibikki because it was usually a huge pain, but this was more interesting. </p><p>“Maybe,” she shrugged, finding her page, “Things have gotten kind of…”</p><p>“Domestic?” he smirked, watching her face turn red. “Don’t worry, Sakura, I won’t tell anyone you’re going soft on me.” With that, he turned around, feeling a pillow hit him on his back as he did. “You’re not being a very good doctor Sakura,” he teased. All he could hear as a retort was some mumbling. </p><p>~~</p><p>“You should send us out as soon as possible. Sakura's getting cabin fever,” Kakashi sat back in his chair. Never did he think he’d be asking Ibikki to send him out sooner rather than later. But he was mostly patched up. It helped that most nights, Sakura would use her chakra to speed the process up.  </p><p>Ibikki shook the back of Kakashi’s chair, “Don’t get too comfortable in my office Hatake. I might have something for you two, but we need to talk about the little arrangement you two have.”</p><p>Kakashi turned around. Ibikki was looking up from his paperwork, and right at him, he was being serious. “Ibikki, I haven’t the faintest clue what you’re talking about,” he did, but he didn’t want to talk about his personal life right now. “I didn’t take you for a gossip.”</p><p>After a surprisingly hard flick to Kakashi’s forehead, Ibikki slammed his file down. “I don’t give a fuck if you and Sakura sleep together. I don’t. But explain to me why you’re living together and why it came across my desk that you were her husband?” </p><p>“Oh, that arrangement,” charming or outsmarting his way out of a situation never worked with Ibikki. “Yeah, well, the marriage thing was Shikamaru messing with her. And the living together thing…” he wasn’t entirely sure how to explain that one in a satisfactory way, “Saving rent money.”</p><p>“Is that so?” Ibikki raised his brow, “I know how much you both make, you know. Look,” he rubbed his temples, “As much as I hate to admit it, you were right that you and Sakura make a good team. You have a high success rate, and I don’t want to split you up, but this is getting a little too personal. Ease my concerns.”</p><p>Relationships in ANBU made things more complicated. It could threaten the mission. If Kakashi had two agents like him and Sakura in his command, he would probably separate them too. But their feelings for each other weren’t real feelings. They were both just lonely, “It’s fine Ibikki, the mission comes first, were squadmates before fuck buddies,” he listed off a little too nonchalantly. </p><p>“Take this seriously, Hatake. I’m about this close to putting Sakura in a different squad,” he put two fingers together. “Now convince me not to.”</p><p>It had been a while since Kakashi had been scolded like this. He was pretty sure the last person was Minato. “Fine, fine,” honestly, he had been stalling, trying to figure it out himself. There was a very good reason they should stay a two-person team. It was because he was the only person who could handle her. But if he told Ibikki that, she would probably get kicked out of ANBU. “Okay, look. Sakura is one of the best agents I’ve ever had in the field. She’s focused, driven, and gets results. We’re not in a romantic relationship. I don’t think she’ll ever be again after Sasuke. But if we were, she would still sooner throw me on a bomb than sacrifice the mission.” He didn’t like saying that she would never fall in love again. It made him feel like shit. Hopefully, he was wrong. </p><p>“Not convinced,” he crossed his arms, “would you do the same to her?”</p><p>No. Is what he wanted to say but lying would be futile. If there was anyone who could sniff out a lie, it was this man. “I wouldn’t do that to anyone. But everyone knows that. You know that” he had to be tactful in his wording. “Those who leave their friends behind are worse than scum.”</p><p>Ibikki debated if the dream team was worth all the stress. “Are you calling Sakura worse than scum?”</p><p>Technically yes, although he didn’t mean it that way. “That’s not what I mean. She just has her priorities straight; she would try to save everyone first, but if she couldn’t...” He was maybe splitting hairs trying to backtrack, but Ibikki didn’t look like he was buying it. He sighed, cutting his losses, “I guess I don’t know for sure. Sakura is a caring person; I’ve seen plenty of evidence of it. But I’ve also seen plenty of evidence to the fact that when Sakura has a goal, she won’t stop until she’s reached it.”</p><p>Finally, Ibikki liked what he was hearing. “So there’s no feelings I have to be worried about?”</p><p>“No,” he shook his head. However, he found himself being disappointed at his own answer. “No feelings besides the ones we went into ANBU with. I care for her as a former student and colleague. That’s it.”</p><p>Ibikki rolled his eyes, “Not how I care for my former genin team,” he muttered. </p><p>“What?” Kakashi wasn’t sure if he heard that right. </p><p>“Get out of my office,” Ibikki went back to his paperwork, shooing Kakashi away. </p><p>~~</p><p>“Hey,” Kakashi climbed up to the roof. When he came home, she wasn’t there, and she had a hard time being social when they were in Konoha. It had been getting better but still. It was unlikely she was out. After all, it was a school night, all her friends had kids, and TenTen was doing some traveling. He was pretty sure he would find her up here. </p><p>“Hey. I didn’t get groceries,” Sakura ashed her cigarette, watching it fall down the side of the roof until the wind blew it away. “How’s prince charming?” </p><p>Kakashi chuckled; it was a good name for Ibikki. And he didn’t care too much about groceries. He could always get them later. “Good. He has something in the works for us. But he found out about the marriage thing and yelled at me for it. He’s also not happy we’re living together. </p><p>Sakura nodded, “Yeah, I could see that. But we still get to be a team?” </p><p>“Yeah,” Kakashi laid down, looking up at the stars, “we can still be a team, but I think we’re on thin ice. Ibikki’s afraid we’ll fall in love, and it’ll compromise the mission.”</p><p>“Ha!” Sakura set the butt of her cigarette down next to her, grabbing a new one.</p><p>It kind of annoyed him that she thought the idea so funny. It wasn’t going to happen, of course, but she could at least entertain the possibility a little. “Yeah, that’s what I said,” he continued to look up. </p><p>There were several moments of silence as the two watched the sky. As Sakura finished her second cigarette, she joined Kakashi, looking up from her back, her head next to his. They continued to say nothing, even as their hands started to touch. While Sakura seemed content with the clear sky and cool breeze, Kakashi could help but look at her. Maybe in another life, another time they could be together, like a real couple with no complications or baggage. They could get married for real, settle down, properly retire, not have to worry about what everyone else thought. In this little world, he had created for himself, Sakura loved him, and he loved her. Maybe Ibikki should be worried.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Lol my auto correct keeps wanting to change Ibikki to Nikki and it makes me laugh. Go check out my other story I just started! It's called Kakashi and Sakura's Infinite Playlist, I'll be posting the second chapter tonight!</p><p>Thanks for reading and stay safe!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Chapter 23</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was not in love with Sakura. Ibikki had just put the idea in his head, and that’s where it came from. Maybe asking her to move in with him was a bad idea. Well, it was; anyone could have told him that, but everything was said and done, so no going back. But it was making things awkward. Decisions seemed easier when he was making them for the good of the village. But he had no idea how to make good ones for himself. </p><p>Every ounce of his being told him to suppress these feelings. It felt like they came out of nowhere, or did they? He had always cared about her, obviously found her gorgeous, and admired her determination, intelligence, and strength. The more he thought about it, the more he was starting to see it.</p><p>“Uh, Kakashi?” Genma’s voice broke his trance, “You good there, buddy?”</p><p>“Oh,” he shook his head, trying to come back to reality, “yeah, just lost in thought.”</p><p>Genma and Guy had convinced him to come out with them, and with him and Sakura getting ready to be out on missions again, it seemed like a good idea who knew when he would have the time to see them again. “Whatcha thinking about?” Genma kept chewing on his senbon. He knew exactly what he was thinking about. He was once there himself, but he had a feeling his friend was in a little deeper. </p><p>“ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT OUR NEXT CHALLENGE, MY RIVAL?” Guy interjected, “Let’s race!”</p><p>“I was not, but could we save the race for another time? I’m a little too tired for that, but how about rock paper scissors?” He held out a fist. Guy gleefully accepted his offer, with Guy eventually admitting defeat after 20 games. </p><p>Their friendship was something Genma would never understand, “If you two are done, you never answered my question.” Guy started wallowing in his loss with upside-down push-ups, “What are you thinking about?”</p><p>The first time he asked, it seemed like an innocent enough question, but this time his friend was fishing for an answer, “Nothing, just a mission that’s coming up.”</p><p>“With Sakura?” He asked a little too quickly. </p><p>And here he was, hoping he could get through drinks without her coming up. He should have known better. “You mean my partner?” He wasn’t supposed to give details out like this, but he was a terrible ANBU agent and just didn’t care, “Yeah.” </p><p>“So heard you two moved in together, things sound like they’re getting pretty serious,” he hummed, sipping on his drink. </p><p>“She’s my roommate, not my live-in girlfriend. She has her own room, can bring home whoever she wants,” although she hadn’t, “so don’t get the wrong idea, we’re not together.”</p><p>Before Genma could tell him what a load of crap that was, Anko beat him to it, she came up to the group from behind with Kurenai, “what a load of crap!” She slapped Kakashi’s back. </p><p>“Oh Anko, how I’ve missed your tender touch,” he muttered through his teeth and turned around, “hey Kurenai,” he waved. </p><p>“Hi Kakashi, but she’s right, you know. I’ve known you for a long time. You don’t let just anyone in your space like that,” she patted his shoulder before stepping up to the bar to order a drink. </p><p>Hearing that from Kurenai was a bit more punishing than Genma or Anko, “Come on, Kakashi, we all saw you two at that dinner last month. I thought you two were going to start fucking right on the dance floor.” Anko said rather calmly.</p><p>“Anko!” Kurenai looked at her friend, “let’s not be so vulgar. That’s Sakura we’re talking about.”</p><p>“All I’m going to say is she never wore a dress like that for me,” Genma averted his eyes from Kakashi, who did not look amused by this conversation. </p><p>This conversation was getting a little too casual for Kakashi’s taste, “I’m going to call it a night,” he got up to leave. </p><p>“Oh no, you don’t!” Genma grabbed his hand, stopping him, “Sit. Come on man, give us something. We’re just curious how our friend is doing.”</p><p>The rest of the group looked at him with hopeful eyes. Accepting defeat, Kakashi sat back down, “Look, things between Sakura and I are weird from an outside perspective, I know, but it’s not that serious. We’re just really close friends, but we’re also having sex. It’s not that interesting.”</p><p>“Kakashi, what’s the difference between that and being in a relationship?” Kurenai smirked, “I would love to hear it.”</p><p>There were a ton of differences, he couldn’t think of any right now, but they were there, “the difference is that we don’t love each other, not like that anyway.”</p><p>“THEN IN WHAT WAY KAKASHI?” Guy rejoined the conversation. His question seemed less pressing than the others, though, “LOVE IS THE VERY ESSENCE OF YOUTH YOU KNOW!”</p><p>His friend was definitely a little drunk, “I mean, I love her like family. You know, like how I love Naruto.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, you’re not sleeping with Naruto,” Genma muttered. </p><p>“I loved Asuma like family,” Kurenai added.</p><p>He was trapped in some sort of verbal prison. “Can we please not talk about this? I feel like I can’t win.”</p><p>“Oh, you can’t,” Anko snickered, “At least not until you admit you and Sakura are in love.”</p><p>The teasing and poking from his friends was annoying, but a part of him felt touched by it. That they cared this much about him to pry like this, he wondered if Obito and Rin would do the same thing. Maybe his father and Minato could offer some fatherly advice, even at forty that sounded nice. He was in love with Sakura, perhaps it was the booze starting to take effect, but the idea was sounding more comfortable. He could say it now, in front of everyone, and they could tell him what to do about it, but he wouldn’t because if he did, he wasn’t sure if he could ever face her again. “I’ll sleep on it,” he put money down for his tab, “Speaking of which. Good night.”</p><p>~~</p><p>“I told you so,” he could feel Sakura’s hands next to his. </p><p>They were tied back to back against a pole, both fairly beaten up, “Yeah, I know,” he groaned, “I’m sorry.”</p><p>Lately, their missions had been going more and more South, pretty typical of ANBU, actually. Ibikki had definitely been throwing them some easy ones in the beginning. “Can you loosen your left hand a little?”</p><p>“I think so. Why?” </p><p>“Serpent, ram, monkey tiger, when you’re ready,” her hand was already loose and waiting for his. </p><p>It took him a second, but he figured out what her plan was, “Fuck, that’s genius,” he wished he had thought of it first. Once his hands were free, he grabbed hers, and together, they completed the hand signs. There was a short burning feeling on his wrists, but before he knew it, he was completely free. “Since when did you know fire style?”</p><p>“I don’t,” she winced, “I couldn’t get it to work until now.” The pair stood up and grabbed their bag, which had been confiscated.</p><p>They had been captured by the enemy and had to make their getaway quickly, but he couldn’t help but admire Sakura as she inspected the room for the best way to get out. This was the second time recently that his judgment had gotten them into trouble. He was getting sloppy, but he supposed that maybe it came with age, assuming that he couldn’t get things wrong anymore. Sakura should honestly be their captain, she wasn’t green anymore, and she was way smarter than him, stronger too. “Lead the way,” he noticed the look on her face she only had when she had a plan. </p><p>“Really?” Sakura always gave her opinion, but he had never allowed her to lead him blindly before. Kakashi nodded. “Okay, come on,” she grabbed his hand, pulling them down a corridor, “I noticed a vent opening when they brought us here, and there were vents on the roof. I think it’s worth a shot.”</p><p>He was getting sloppy. He didn’t notice any of that, “I agree,” Kakashi being taller, took the grate off and hoisted Sakura up. After she was in, she pulled him up, and they crawled up to the roof. It was dark, probably only a couple of hours after midnight. </p><p>Both of them took a moment. They had been tied up for hours in a dingy cellar, so the fresh air was, well, refreshing. “It’s beautiful out here,” Sakura ran her fingers through her hair. Their masks had been taken so they would have to kill everyone in the compound momentarily, but it wouldn’t be hard. The only reason they were caught in the first place was they were taken by surprise by mercenaries that their captors had hired. But the mercenaries were gone, and now they had the upper hand. </p><p>“It is,” he sat down, “wanna lead this next part? I’m tired and don’t want to think.”</p><p>“Yes!” Sakura looked more excited than Kakashi thought, “You know if you’re tired, I can take care of everything. I feel fine.”</p><p>A tempting offer, and he wasn’t worried that she would be fine but sitting around while his subordinate did all the work was a little unprofessional, even for him. “No, no,” he stood up, “I’m good, but I’m following your lead.”</p><p>As both of them expected, the rest of the mission went smoothly. Kakashi didn’t really do anything, opting to just watch Sakura, who he could tell was having fun by all the unnecessary flips. </p><p>“Alright,” Sakura took her sword out of the last guy’s back, “Ready to go home?”</p><p>“Yeah, want to camp out tonight, though? I am pretty tired. Getting tied up for hours is rougher than I remember,” he stretched out his back that was still stiff. </p><p>Sakura rolled her eyes, “Yeah, fine old man, but if we’re sleeping, you have to buy us in an inn to stay in. I’m covered in blood, sweat, and dirty, and I don’t want to sleep in it.” She would have rather pushed through to get home as soon as possible.</p><p>“Yeah yeah, whatever,” Kakashi stretched his arms up. If only teenage to early twenty-something-year-old Kakashi could see him now. That version of himself would cringe at staying in an inn during a mission when he could just push to get home that night. He was so glad he wasn’t so serious anymore. It was exhausting. The inn was small and shitty, but he was getting too old to camp. He was getting too old for ANBU. </p><p>While Sakura felt like Kakashi took the cushy way out too much, she had to say, taking a shower was nice. “Alright, the shower’s all yours,” Sakura dropped her towel and threw on a spare shirt and pair of panties she had.</p><p>She was so little. It really amazed Kakashi sometimes. So strong and powerful, but to anyone else, it might seem like a gust of wind might get the best of her. He wished she wasn’t a ninja. Why couldn’t she have just been a normal civilian like her parents? Go to school; she could still be a doctor but a civilian one. Get married to a normal man with no visual prowess, have a couple of kids, just be happy and safe. To Kakashi, that suited a girl with pink hair and a small frame much better. But Kakashi knew that the thought was selfish, maybe even demeaning. He just hated thinking about all the dangerous and scary situations she had been in, and for some reason, it was hitting him a little harder right now. </p><p>What Kakashi didn’t realize though is he forgot to answer her, instead just staring, almost blankly at her. “Kakashi?” Sakura tried again, snapping her fingers. </p><p>Without skipping a beat, Kakashi asked a question that had been brewing in his brain, “Why didn’t you retire from being a ninja once you became pregnant?” When Sakura announced her pregnancy, she submitted a form to the Hokage’s office, changing her jonin status from active to suspended. But not inactive like most new mothers, he had always found it odd, but there was so much going on then that it hardly seemed like the most pressing issue. Now though, there was a part of him that wished he had addressed it then and there. </p><p>It was always in a hotel room like this, far away from the village, that they got into big fights, although usually, Sakura started them, “That’s none of your business Kakashi.”</p><p>It wasn’t, but he needed to know, “Were you planning on coming back to the field once you had a child? With your husband dead?” </p><p>To an extent, she deserved this karmic retribution for all the senseless things she had once said to him, but she still wasn’t happy about his insinuation. Grabbing the still dirty pants she was wearing before she put them on and grabbed her pack of cigarettes, “I’m going to smoke. You stay here and think about what you just asked me.” </p><p>Before he knew it, the door slammed shut, and he was alone. “Fuck,” he ran his fingers through his hair and laid back on the bed, “Fuck!” He said a little louder. What was he supposed to think about? It was a stupid and insensitive question. He wasn’t even completely sure why he asked it. Staring at the ceiling he argued with himself, silently. </p><p>While at first, he ran around in circles about how it was because he just cared for her so much he didn’t want to get hurt, that wasn’t it, not quite anyways. It was also because he loved her, and he couldn’t afford to lose her, not like he lost Rin. </p><p>“So, you ready to tell me what’s going on with you?” The door opened, breaking Kakashi out of his trance. </p><p>He sat up. She looked upset, “has it been an hour already?”</p><p>“Over, closer to two actually,” she got undressed again, annoyed she had to put on dirty clothes after showering. </p><p>“Huh,” Kakashi nodded, “Look, I’m sorry,” he hung his head low, “I stepped out of line.”</p><p>“Well, you can’t undo it, so you might as well tell me why the fuck you would ask me a question like that,” she sneered, “you better be honest with me.”</p><p>There was no way in hell he was going to tell Sakura he loved her. He wasn’t even sure if he did like that, it felt warm and fuzzy sometimes, like at dinner a few nights ago with his friends, but now it just made his chest hurt. “Maybe-” he struggled to find a satisfying answer, “Well- I just care a lot about you. And ever since Sasuke died, you’ve done things that worry me. I think it started with that.” None of that was a lie, but with these feelings developing, she was starting to scare him more. </p><p>Sakura was silent, just glaring for a moment, “If I put inactive, I would have to go through retraining to become active again, and I don’t know, I thought I could come back.”</p><p>“A shinobi can only be suspended for a year. Then they automatically become inactive. You were four months pregnant when you changed it. Did you really think you would be back in the field before Sarada was one?” It had been a long time since Kakashi had said that name. </p><p>“Why do you care?” She sounded exhausted, “I ended up becoming inactive anyways. You helped retrain me, remember? You can’t just bring that up a decade later.”</p><p>She was right; she was always right. About the missions, about this, he was flailing hard. “I’m a broken record,” he sighed, “But you and Naruto are my family. When you went off to kill Sasuke all those years ago, I was so scared.” He shook his head, “The village- no, the shinobi world was in trouble, and I was supposed to be Hokage, but instead of sending Yamato to get you while I went home, I went. Do you know why?”</p><p>“You said…” she tried to remember back to that day, “You said it was your responsibility, as our teacher.”</p><p>Kakashi scoffed, “It was, it was my responsibility to keep you safe, and I didn’t trust anyone else to do it. And while I’ve seen you grow and mature, become someone who doesn’t need me, it’s still my responsibility, no matter what.” While he would always have a soft spot for Sasuke that day, after redirecting his Chidori, he had never wanted to kill someone more.</p><p>“You’re not my teacher anymore, you’re certainly not my dad, and you’re not my boyfriend. Get your head out of your ass Kakashi. You can’t treat me like this,” how did staying in an inn become more stressful than being held, prisoner? </p><p>“I’m your friend, your family Sakura. I’m not saying you need my protection; I’m saying I want to give it to you because-” he paused. They had said I loved you before, but he was afraid of what it might mean this time if he said it out loud. But it was more incriminating to stop mid-sentence, “because I love you. I feel the same way about Naruto,” he tried to save himself a little, hoping she took it the same way she had in the past.</p><p>“Don’t give me that crap, Kakashi! You don’t feel this way about Naruto. He doesn’t need protecting. Just say you still think I’m some weak little girl. I know you do. I’ve known for a long time. You treat me differently from him. It’s so obvious!” She felt her face get hot, “I’m going to bed,” she was regretting them getting a one-bedroom right about now. After storming over to the bed and covering herself on her side, she covered her head with the blanket. “I’m not talking about this anymore.”</p><p>That was fair. He had fucked up, “I’m going on a walk,” he stood up, “I’ll come back in quietly, good night Sakura.” As he left, he tried to reflect on what she said. He did treat Naruto differently, and of course, he was stronger than Sakura; he was stronger than everybody. But that wasn’t why he treated her differently. Kakashi would both kill and die for Naruto, but those feelings of protection were stronger with Sakura, more now than ever before, which was ironic since she was the strongest he had ever seen her. “I love you, Sakura,” he tried out loud. To his dismay, or maybe excitement, saying it that way felt right.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I feel like this chapter and the next might be a bit boring but I'm building up for something so bear with me! Poor Kakashi is in the dog house. Sakura is a bad person to have on angry at you haha </p><p>Alrighty well thanks for reading and stay healthy everybody!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Chapter 24</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Despite his age, periodic apathy towards life, and the fact that Sakura had rightfully yelled at him the night before, Kakashi was still a man, so he woke up hard. Of course, he did, probably because right next to him was the most beautiful girl he had ever been with. Sakura had noticed too, but instead of ignoring him like he expected, he felt her hand run up his chest. As her hand moved, Kakashi noticed the considerable amount of pressure she was putting on him. It felt good to feel her touch him, but a part of him felt like she wasn’t far from breaking one of his ribs. </p><p>“Sakura,” he mumbled, not yet fully awake, “what are you doing?” She had moved to small bites on his shoulder. </p><p>She didn’t respond, though, instead pushing his boxers down, climbing upon him, and sitting behind his cock. He could make out from her movement that she was rubbing herself against his shaft. Not that he minded, it was kind of hot waking up this way, but she looked weirdly bored while doing it. It was weird. But he felt like he was on eggshells right now, so he didn’t say anything. It must have been at least a little pleasurable for her since she was doing all the work, and her grinding up against him felt good, so he decided just to sit back and relax. </p><p>He could feel her dripping on him, but before he could suggest she get on top, she was already there, slowly bucking her hips. Kakashi, still tired, instinctively went to grab her waist, but she shooed him away, giving him the same look of ‘leave me alone that he got last night. She was still mad, horny, and mad. This would either be the best or worst sex of his life, and there was a morbid curiosity to find out. </p><p>Sakura started to move her hips faster, pinning her hands against the wall before lifting herself to his tip and falling back down. God, he wanted to help her, to push her back down on him as far as she could take him and then some. But her entire aura said not to, and Kakashi was good at following his instinct. Plus, the fact that he wasn’t getting what he wanted, that for once he wasn’t in control despite there being no constraints, was driving him crazy, in a good way. He wasn’t sure how she was doing this to him, making him behave with just a look, but it was a dangerous game. He might have to make her mad more. </p><p>Lowering herself down to his face, her expression was still bored, but he could feel how wet she was. It was betraying her. “Suck on my tits,” she finally spoke, moving her chest closer to his face. Sakura thought it felt a little unceremonious ordering him around like this, but he didn’t seem to mind, and she needed to get her frustration out somehow. </p><p>Of course, he happily obeyed, just happy to finally touch her. There was no sweeter taste than Sakura in Kakashi’s opinion. He wanted to lick, bite and suck every part of her. His desire was only made worse by the fact that she was depriving him right now. </p><p>She started to ride him harder, digging her hips deep into his groin. It hurt but in a good way, the best way. As Sakura moved her body up to focus her movements, Kakashi looked on desperately, already missing her taste in his mouth. “Come back,” he moaned, getting bolder with his touch and trying her waist again. He would take whatever he could get. </p><p>Sakura took his hands with hers and slammed them against the bed above his head, holding them down with now only one of her hands. Often Kakashi slept with a mask around his neck that he could pull up quickly if need be. Taking advantage of this, Sakura pulled it up with her other hand and leaned into his ear. It tortured Kakashi to be so close to her and not touch her with his hands or tongue. For a doctor, she could be rather cruel. “Stop talking, Kakashi. I’m still mad.” </p><p>So his suspicions were correct. He nodded, resting his hands behind his back. This morning he would be hers, he figured he owed her that much, and it wasn’t like he was having a bad time. </p><p>For some reason, it made Sakura mad that Kakashi seemed to give up, but she also wasn’t sure if he could do anything correctly in her eyes right now. “You’re such an asshole,” she pushed his hands down harder, her voice becoming strained the harder she worked, “such a fucking asshole.”</p><p>He knew what game she was playing. Too bad for her; he was better. Tangling his legs up in hers, he caught her off guard and threw her on her back. Sakura was much stronger, so he only had a moment, “I am, but you knew that Sakura, I think you like it.”</p><p>And there it was, he almost had the wind knocked out of him she flipped him back so hard. “Fuck you,” she spat, covering his face with her hand, fully focusing on the one thing about him that wasn’t completely annoying her. But she had to bite her tongue, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of hearing her moans. </p><p>After Sakura had finished, she got off him, taking another shower before getting dressed. All without speaking a word to him. This was going to be a shitty journey home and an even shittier time at home. Suddenly asking her to move in felt like a bad idea. He probably should have foreseen this before asking her. </p><p>~~</p><p>“You still mad?” Kakashi asked, dropping their bags in the door when they got home. As he suspected, it was a very quiet trip. </p><p>“No,” Sakura walked away to the room to change her clothes, “Why?” she yelled out, but it sounded curt to Kakashi. </p><p>He sighed, she was still mad, but Sakura wasn’t exactly known for letting things go. “Because I live with you, usually we sleep in the same bed, we’re ANBU partners....” Kakashi knew their relationship stepped over the bounds of unprofessional a while ago. Still, it was now hitting him how bad it was getting, “Look, you don’t have to tell me, we have a meeting with Ibikki in the morning, so just get some sleep,” he sighed, moving to the guest room and locking it behind him. This whole thing was getting messier and messier. </p><p>Meanwhile, Sakura found herself wanting to stop him, bring him into the room they shared, but her pride got in the way, and before she knew it, the door slammed shut. “Damn it,” she whispered under her breath. But she was too tired to deal with it, so she went to bed and found it just wasn’t the same without him. She had gotten too used to being in the same bed as him every night. It was the worse sleep she had ever gotten. </p><p>Same for him, it had been a long time since he last slept alone. When he got up, Sakura was already up, and she had laid a small breakfast out. She never made breakfast. “Morning,” he spoke cautiously. </p><p>“Morning,” she tried to force a pleasant tone but knew it wasn’t convincing. The night before, as she stared up at the ceiling, she realized something. Kakashi had put up with a lot from her, especially when they first became partners, constant blow-ups and uncalled-for jabs, the least she could do was cut him the same slack he cut her, but she was bad at it. “So should we walk to Ibikki’s office together?” </p><p>What else would they do? They were starting from the same place and had to be at the same place at the same time, but he let it go, “Sounds good.” Despite the obviously forced smile, Kakashi felt that waking up to breakfast was in some way a small win, “How’d you sleep?”</p><p>“Uh,” she paused, lying to Kakashi was more difficult than she cared to admit, “alright. I’m still pretty sore and didn’t feel like using my chakra, so I was a little uncomfortable. You?” </p><p>“Yeah, I slept well,” Kakashi didn’t have a problem lying to anyone, “Still tired though, I was thinking about taking a nap when we get back. You should too. Rest is important.”</p><p>He sounded annoyingly like her teacher right now, “Maybe,” she switched off the oven and sat down at the dining room table, “Let’s eat and head out. I don’t want to be late.”</p><p>That last comment felt especially pointed at him, but he ignored it. Maybe he shouldn’t have. Sometimes Sakura let her emotions run a little too far, but then again, who was he to judge? He was much worse than Sakura once upon a time.</p><p>The walk to Ibikki’s was quiet, the like journey home. How did suggesting a nap land him further in the dog house? She was at least trying before. “Hey, before we go in,” Kakashi stopped her in front of ANBU HQ, “We have to be a united front here. Why are you so mad?” </p><p>Sakura bit her lip, trying to control her anger at the question. What was making her angry? The fact she didn’t know why. Objectively it was because of his comment a couple of nights ago, but even she could see she was punishing him a little too much for it at this point. “You’re just so-” she stopped before raising her voice, “Can we talk about this later?” She sighed, trying to relax herself before the meeting. </p><p>It seemed like a good thing, he thought she was about to yell, but she deescalated herself. He would take it. “Yeah,” he pulled down his mask, running his fingers through her hair, caressing the side of her head, “after a nap?” He was maybe pushing his luck. </p><p>“I’d like that,” she nodded, lowering his hand. </p><p>While Kakashi came into the meeting feeling a little better about their situation, Ibikki was trained in reading people, and he knew right away something was up. These two were slowly becoming more trouble than they were worth. After the mission debrief, Ibikki dismissed Kakashi but asked Sakura to stay behind. The two exchanged glances, both nervous about what Ibikki wanted. </p><p>“So,” Ibikki sat back against his desk, his arms crossed once Kakashi was gone, “I’m reassigning you, temporarily, to a base up in the North where you’ll be the head medic in charge of ten other medics. You leave in two days for six months.”</p><p>Sakura liked extended missions outside of the village, but something was worrying her about what Ibikki just said, “Is Kakashi coming with me?”</p><p>“No,” Ibikki was firm, “I have a group of young talented new recruits, but they need a leader. You two will be separated.” He saw the look on Sakura’s face that she was trying to cover up, “I fully intend on putting you two back on a team when you get back, but you two are on thin ice. Kakashi has never taken me seriously, so I’m trying you. You two are one of my best teams, there are missions where I only consider you, but I can tell the emotions that this job and living together is causing. Take some time away from each other and get your priorities straight Haruno, I’m this close,” he held his fingers together. They were barely touching. “Now give this to Kakashi. It’s his mission.” Ibikki handed her a folder before getting back to the paperwork on his desk.</p><p>All of this information at once was too much for Sakura. She silently took the folder and walked out of the office. Outside HQ was Kakashi, who was eagerly waiting, “Did he give you a lecture about feelings?” But Sakura was quiet, handing him an envelope, “Sakura,” there was panic in his voice, “What did Ibikki say?” </p><p>“That envelop is your new mission. In two days, I’m heading out to a medical base for six months, but you’re staying here.” She was kicking herself for treating him the way she had been. They were supposed to be going home to take a nap, then talk about why she was so mad, but now none of that seemed to matter.</p><p>Kakashi ruffled through the folder, a captain, to some kids? That’s what Ibikki had him doing? “I’ll talk to him,” Kakashi started to walk back in. </p><p>But Sakura stopped him, “No. I- Can we go home? I want to take a nap.”</p><p>She had that face, the same face she had when she talked about Sarada and Sasuke, “Yeah,” he said softly, putting his arm around her shoulder and guiding her home.</p><p>From up above, Ibikki watched the two and seeing how they interacted with each other. He knew he was making the right choice. He even had a feeling they might thank him for it. </p><p>~~</p><p>They had always joked that sex in the village was worse than on missions, but it was never bad until now. There was no passion or excitement. It felt more like an obligation. “I’m sorry,” Kakashi ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated that his last night with Sakura was filled with even more mediocre sex.</p><p>Sakura wasn’t thrilled about it either, “Don’t be. It’s not your fault.” It was so weird. They would only be apart for six months, she thought that sex would be even better given the impending distance, but she was wrong. The thing was, though, it was his fault, he was off, and she didn’t know why. </p><p>Looking at the clock, it was 1 am, Sakura would be leaving in four hours, “You should probably get some sleep.”</p><p>“No,” she stood up and got dressed, “I think I’m going to leave now.”</p><p>Leaving four hours early wasn’t that strange. It even sort of made sense, but Kakashi was sad. He wanted to at least enjoy the last few hours with his arms around her under a warm blanket. Her leaving early felt unfair. “Can I walk you to the gate?”	</p><p>Part of Sakura wanted to say no. She was hoping to slip out with no goodbyes, that felt easier, but she couldn’t do it. “I’d like that,” she smiled, throwing him his pants, “get ready quick, though.”</p><p>Kakashi slipped on the pants and threw a sweater on, offering to carry her bag until they parted ways. The walk was quiet, both of them struggling to figure out what to say to the other. As they reached the gate, though, Kakashi kept walking, “Mind if I walk with you a little bit? It’s a beautiful night.”</p><p>It was. “Sure, but you’re carrying my bag,” she teased. Funny that the second they stepped out of the village, they figured out how to talk to each other again. </p><p>“Of course,” he rustled her hair, “you excited?” With all his wallowing about her leaving, he had forgotten to ask. It was a great opportunity, what Ibikki was offering her.</p><p>“I am. The position sounds amazing. I like being in charge,” she smirked. “But I’ll miss you,” her face softened, “You’re not half bad to be around.”</p><p>Kakashi chuckled, “I’ll miss you too. It’ll be quiet around the house without you.”</p><p>“Well, all the female agents talk about you in some very objectifying ways in the locker room, so if you get too lonely, I’m sure you can have your pick,” it sounded like teasing in her head, but she didn’t like how it came out.</p><p>Kakashi tried to laugh it off, “Yeah, maybe.”</p><p>“Sorry, was that inappropriate?” she could tell by his reaction it probably was. </p><p>“Since when do you care about being inappropriate?” He tried to lighten the mood, “It’s fine. You’ve just ruined sex for me. I’m debating if it’s even worth sleeping with anyone else.”</p><p>Sakura didn’t know how to respond except laughing, “Now come on, Kakashi, I’m sure you could do better than what we’ve been doing the past couple of nights.” </p><p>Maybe it was because they were out of the village, away from everyone and everything, or perhaps because it was finally hitting him that this was it, for a while with her, but something took over. Kakashi dropped the bag and took Sakura’s wrist, pinning her against a nearby tree, “You’re right, I can do better, let me send you off properly,” he went for her neck. Usually, he wasn’t one for hickeys, but her leaving was making him feel territorial. </p><p>“Where was this a couple of hours ago?” with her free hand, she undid her pants then Kakashi, “not that I’m complaining.”</p><p>Fuck, he wished he knew. Without responding, he picked her up with one arm and pulled her pants down with the other. Lucky for him, she was still wet from earlier. A quickie in the woods wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when he thought about goodbye sex with Sakura. But here they were, and he hadn’t finished in days, so he wasn’t sure how long he’d last.</p><p>“Kakashi,” she called out his name, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her usually bratty side was falling short. It felt like forever since she had felt this good since he had been this deep, and she was reveling in it. </p><p>God, he would miss his name coming out of her mouth, “Be a good girl while you’re gone, and I’ll reward you.” He nipped at her neck, grinning. </p><p>“Do you mean behaving myself at my job or not sleeping with anyone else?” She bit her lip, noticing he slammed her down a little harder after she asked. </p><p>“I was thinking your job, you’re not exactly easy to work with,” he pushed his hand up her shirt squeezing her breast. Hard, as he remembered all the times she had been a pain in his ass since they started working together. “If you want to sleep with other boys, go ahead,” he pressed her harder against the tree, “but remember,” he moved up to her ear, “no one can make you feel as good as I can.” A rather bold claim but he was in the moment and did feel fairly confident in his abilities to make her cum. </p><p>That was probably true. Sex with Kakashi was on another level, even this. The bark on the tree was digging into her back, and she was only close because the past few days had been so bad. But she would take the worse sex with him over the best sex with anyone else. “What if I find someone better?” she whimpered between his thrusts. She had a feeling that walking might be difficult after this. </p><p>He never thought he would say this, but he would miss this little brat during sex. “Then I’ll just have to keep you on your back until you change your mind,” he felt himself getting close, “Would you like that?” </p><p>“Yes, captain,” she whimpered, “fuck I’m close.”</p><p>In the last few moments, Kakashi tried to hang on as long as possible. There was no way he was letting this girl leave without finishing. But the second her body tensed, she let out a very familiar moan. He finished too, pulling out and dropping her to her feet. His arms hurt; he was getting too old for this. Sakura cleaned herself up and put her clothes back on while Kakashi did the same. </p><p>“Thanks for indulging me,” he kissed the top of her head, “I think I can properly send you off now.”</p><p>“Trust me, I was indulging myself,” she kissed softly. Barely pulling away, she smiled, “I think I should go my own way from here.”</p><p>She was right; he wasn’t even supposed to be out of the village without Ibikki’s permission. “Okay,” he wrapped his arms around her, “Be safe, Sakura.” </p><p>“I will,” she hugged back, taking in his smell one last time. For someone who loved dogs so much, he didn’t smell like one. He smelled like the pages of a book and the lavender soap he had been using the past couple of weeks. Would he be using a different scent in six months? Probably. </p><p>Kakashi wasn’t sure how long the hug had lasted. He was too busy fighting himself; he should just say it. If she did, she could think about it for six months, and they could figure it out when she got back. But maybe it was selfish to drop it on her like this, right before leaving. “Mhm,” he accidentally grunted out loud. </p><p>“What was that?” Sakura pulled back. </p><p>In a panic, in how to explain the noise, Kakashi blurted out, “I love you.”</p><p>“I love you too,” she hugged him again. </p><p>That wasn’t what he meant. He bit his lip and pushed her away, his hands firmly on her arms, “Sakura listen, I love you, I love love you.” He wasn’t sure how else to explain it, “You don’t have to say it back,” he hated the surprised expression on her face, “I just needed you to know.”</p><p>There were a lot of emotions running through Sakura right now. Maybe love love meant something else. No, she shook her head. It didn’t. She knew what it meant, she actually knew when he first said it, but she had been in denial, maybe for a while now, of his feelings, of hers. It was confusing. “Kakashi…” she was at a loss for words. </p><p>This was a disaster, and he didn’t know how to fix it, “I’m going to leave, but please, be safe,” he tried to force a smile, “you don’t have to come back to me, but please come back.” </p><p>As he started to walk away, Sakura grabbed him. There was anger, confusion, guilt, among numerous other emotions she was feeling right now, and while she wanted to screamed and kick at him she also couldn't stand for her last moments with him to be sullied. So she calmed herself, “Wait,” she wasn’t sure how she felt, but she knew what she wanted to say. “I love you. I don’t know if it’s the same way that you love me, but I love you, Kakashi. There’ve been several times,” a tear dropped onto Kakashi’s hand that was intertwined in hers, “in the past ten where I’ve wanted to die. I didn’t see a point. I thought I was just too much of a coward to do it but you-” her voice started to crack, “you helped me see that it wasn’t because I was a coward. It was because I loved what was still in my life. My friends, my family, you,” she looked up and smiled. </p><p>It was a smile he hadn’t seen in a while. It reminded him of the smile she gave him after the war. When he went down to meet his students as Sakura healed them. She had been crying, but it was still warm and comforting. They truly believed that from that moment on, everything would be okay. Maybe that’s why he never saw it again. Sakura had been beaten down so badly from life since then. It caught Kakashi off guard, but he was happy; any anxiety he had about sending her off faded, “Thank you for telling me that. You are the furthest thing from a coward that I’ve ever met, Sakura Haruno. I’ll see you in six months,” he brought her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. He wanted to say ‘I love you’ again, but this moment was too nice to ruin it with such a frivolous thing.</p><p>“I’ll see you in six months Kakashi Hatake,” and like that, she was gone, fading down the road.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm trying to update every weekend, I even had this chapter all edited but then crashed XD I'll try to be more consistent, emphasis on try. But anyways I hope you like this chapter! I've always written their relationship in this story as a little toxic which is why I also thought it was important that they get some time away from each other. But of course, Kakashi couldn't just send her off without a little confession. And of course, we're proud of Sakura for being mature about it :') </p><p>Alright I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, let me know if you liked it! (Or not, I can take some constructive criticism) Stay healthy everyone :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Chapter 25</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Even a week ago, if someone asked how she would respond to Kakashi confessing his love to her, Sakura would have said angry, annoyed, upset, any synonym after that. She told him that she would end things if he did, but when it finally happened, she wasn’t mad. The opposite actually, while there was certainly confusion, she found herself happier rather than angry. If only she knew what that meant.</p><p>It was tough because she did love him but separating the types of love she had for him was challenging. And to make it worse, she started comparing it to Sasuke, which made her want to cry. There was a lot of day drinking on this trip to numb her thoughts when they got too intense. She tried to distract herself with sex like as was routine with her, but whenever she tried to go into a bar to meet someone, she left as soon as they approached her. It was an obnoxious cycle. </p><p>But the last leg of the journey, she sobered up and got serious, trying to switch her thoughts from a boy to her job, to ANBU. </p><p>It was dinner when she got in. After dropping her stuff off, she grabbed dinner but took it back to her room. She didn’t feel like being social. This room was nicer than the base she had been in previously, also no roommate. So she sat on her bed, staring at the wall while she shoveled rice, veggies, and fish into her mouth. Six months of this was going to be rough. </p><p>~~</p><p>There was no time to adjust. The next day she met the other medics. She would be teaching and going on the more difficult missions like last time, but this group was bigger and more elite. There was plenty of action here. After dismissing her first class, she was pulled into the med bay to care for a squad captain who needed surgery to remove shrapnel from her mission. Sakura could see why a more senior member would be required. One wrong move, and the captain would bleed out in seconds. Luckily she could do this in her sleep. </p><p>“Alright,” she looked at her patient’s chart, “Captain Mira, I’m going numb the area and extract the shrapnel.” The assistant started to put up a curtain so she wouldn’t have to watch. </p><p>“Wait, don't put it up, I’m curious,” a wicked grin formed on the captain's face, “That cool?”</p><p>A girl after her own heart, “Sure, but don’t throw up.” It was over quickly. Sakura had done this a million times in much worse conditions. “Okay, we’re done. The sedative will wear off in thirty minutes. Just relax here until you can move again.” Sakura started to walk off. </p><p>“Hey, come back! I’m bored,” the girl called back, “Besides, I heard you’re a badass, and I want to see if that’s true.”</p><p>Who was this young woman, paralyzed from the neck down on her operating table, shouting at her? As much as Sakura just wanted to leave because it wasn’t like she could chase after her, but there was a voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Kakashi’s telling her to play nice. She sighed and turned around, “You know I’m not here to entertain you.”</p><p>“Maybe not, but I could sure entertain you,” The girl bit her bottom lip, eyeing Sakura up and down. </p><p>The girl reminded her of Genma in the worst ways, “Are you flirting with me?” </p><p>“Depends if you’re into it, are you?” the reactions in her face were trying to make up for the paralysis in the rest of her body. </p><p>“Unbelievable,” Sakura rubbed the bridge of her nose and looked down. She had always been more partial to men, but even Sakura had to admit the girl was cute. But for once, she couldn’t self-medicate with sex, not for lack of trying, though. “I’m not, but nice try,” Sakura took a seat next to her. </p><p>Mira didn’t seem to fazed, though, “I’ll try again later, Pink, but just so you know, this base is a flirty bunch, and you’re a cute addition.”</p><p>Not that she was terribly lady-like, but this girl was somehow worse than Genma, “bet that mouth of yours get you in trouble.” Sakura caught the look on her face as she crafted a dirty come back, “If you say something gross, I’m leaving.”</p><p>“Fine,” she admitted defeat, “you have a boyfriend back home or just not into girls?” </p><p>“Isn’t it possible that I’m just not into you?” Sakura raised her brow. </p><p>“Impossible, now tell me which one it is,” she snapped back. </p><p>Sakura couldn’t help but laugh at her response, “Well, I prefer men.” A safe answer because it was true, but the boyfriend one was more complicated. She paused to think about if she should say anything about it but quickly resigned herself to her answer. </p><p>But what Sakura didn’t know was Mira was a master interrogator and caught the small facial expressions she had when she thought about Kakashi, “I think you have a boyfriend,” she hummed. </p><p>“I don’t,” Sakura was sterned, “I just prefer men.”</p><p>“Liar,” she sang this time, “you’re tensing up, which means you’re lying. Is it the sixth Hokage?” </p><p>Sakura almost fell out of her chair, “Excuse me?”</p><p>Mira snickered, this girl would be fun to mess with, “Oh come on, Sakura, everyone knows you and Lord sixth are in ANBU. You’re both pretty famous and stick out like a sore thumb.”</p><p>That was fair. Their hair did them no favors, “That may be, but please use my ANBU code name.”</p><p>“Fine,” she rolled her eyes, “But everyone knows you’re a team, and he’s hot, I’d sleep with him. Not going to lie, I was kind of bummed both of you weren’t coming.”</p><p>So was she. “Yeah, well, Lord sixth is not my boyfriend. He’s my captain.”</p><p>“But doesn’t that make it a little hotter?” Mira poked. </p><p>This girl was too much. Sakura stood up, “I have to go. Once you can move again, take it slow with low impact exercise and make sure to clean and dress your wound before bed.” As Sakura walked out, she looked over her shoulder, “It makes it way hotter.”</p><p>She saw Mira laugh, “I knew it! And will do, thanks, mom!”</p><p>Sakura quickly turned her head. She didn’t expect to be called mom by a woman only a few years younger than her, who she had just operated on and was slinging innuendos at her, but she didn’t mind it. It was a funny nickname.</p><p>~~</p><p>Slowly but surely, Sakura started to warm up to her colleagues. She didn’t go on many missions, though. The med bay always seemed so full that she rarely felt comfortable leaving. As much as she thought she’d miss but for some reason, didn’t. No joke, she loved being in surgery eight hours a day. With her spare time being used to check on patients and teach, it was fulfilling in a way being a doctor hadn’t been in years. </p><p>Mira wasn’t kidding when she said the whole base was flirty. Her office was bombarded with flowers and gifts. She was especially popular, but she wasn’t sure if it was because she had saved all their lives multiple times after only a few months or if it was because she never caved on an advance. Mira told her there was a competition to see who could get her to at least agree to a date, but it was short-lived because it quickly proved fruitless. </p><p>“Hey Doc,” this agent, Mato, was a tall, muscular man with jet black hair. If Sakura were to break, she had already picked him out for who she would break for. But she found no desire to do so, “I’m doing some late night training tonight, wanna join?”</p><p>Something told Sakura this training wasn’t going to be in the gym. “I’m okay, Mato, but I appreciate the invite. How’s your leg healing?” He had come back last week with it broken. Usually, Sakura would let those heal naturally to save her chakra for emergencies, but the higher-ups needed him back on a mission later this week, so Sakura had been speeding it up. “Have you been doing the physical therapy I told you to do?” </p><p>There was a small sigh as Mato admitted defeat for the day, “Yeah,” he sat down next to her. “Right here,” he pointed to the outside of his quad, “hurts the most when I do it. Is that normal?”</p><p>“It is. Just remember there’s pushing yourself and pushing yourself too hard. It can hurt while you do PT, but once the pain turns sharp, you stop, understand me?” She glared down at the agent. All ANBU were bad at taking care of themselves, Sakura included, so she had been lecturing a lot since arriving.</p><p>“Understood,” he got up, “thanks, mom, see ya at dinner,” he flippantly waved his hand as he left. </p><p>That was another thing that had developed quicker than Sakura expected, the nickname mom. When agents flirted with her, they called her Aki, Doc, or Pinky, but it was always mom after one of her medical lectures. Kind of weird, but to a degree, it made sense. A lot of these agents had people back home they missed. Maybe Sakura lecturing them about their health reminded them of their loved ones. Either way, it didn’t bug her, which was also surprising. </p><p>Later in the mess hall, Sakura came late, as usual, but Mira had gotten into the habit of grabbing her a plate before all the good stuff was gone. She usually holed herself up a little too long in the med bay. “Hey, mom, got you udon!”</p><p>Still, in her lab coat, Sakura sat down next to her friend, “Straight to mom tonight, huh?” </p><p>“Please, I gave up a long time ago. You’re too in love with someone else,” she smirked, “you might as well be our resident virgin.”</p><p>“Next time you’re in the village, I have a guy I want you to meet. I think you two would get along,” Sakura rolled her eyes and started in on her food, “Answer me something, though. Why mom and not doc?” It had always struck her odd that doc was more of a flirty nickname. </p><p>“You’re old,” Mira said a little too matter-of-factly. </p><p>It felt like an arrow had plunged Sakura’s heart, “I’m only twenty-nine!”</p><p>“Yeah, and I’m twenty-five and about to retire from ANBU. You and the sixth are ancient, amazing, and could kick everyone’s ass, but ancient. Mom just seems more fitting,” she knew this would get under Sakura’s skin. </p><p>Sakura grabbed the girl’s ear, pinched it, and pulled, “you little brat.”</p><p>Mira, despite feeling the pain of an absurdly strong pinch, started laughing, “I’m sorry, mom, I’ll be good, just don’t ground me.”</p><p>Realizing it probably did look like she was punishing her child, Sakura let go and went back to eating her Udon, mumbling between slurps. Mira decided to let her eat in peace, but she did find one thing interesting. Usually, when she teased Sakura about being in love with Kakashi, there was a quick and sudden correction, but not this time. </p><p>~~</p><p>“Hey, mom, I know you’re a medical ninja, but Mira told me you were good at genjutsu’s. Could you help me develop one I’ve been working on later?” It was one of the younger agents, only seventeen. She had blonde hair, which made Sakura think of Ino. </p><p>“Of course. I have some things I have to do, but how about I meet you in the gym after dinner,” while Sakura was hoping to get some paperwork done, helping the girl sounded a lot more fun. </p><p>The girl had a huge grin on her face, “you’re like the nicest person ever, thank you so much.” The girl waved goodbye and left. </p><p>Funny to think that almost six months ago, a girl slapped her and called her a slut. It dawned on Sakura that it had been a long time since someone called her nice. She had spent a lot of years being rough around the edges. If she was honest with herself, there was definitely a time, not long ago, that she would have told the girl to fuck off, “huh,” she muttered under her breath. </p><p>~~</p><p>“You know all this medical stuff you do is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but you’re so much cooler when you fight,” Mira was being carried back to base on Sakura’s back, a rare mission out for her.</p><p>Sakura smirked, “You mean the medical stuff that’s saved both your life and everyone else’s multiple times? That medical stuff?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she rested her head on Sakura’s shoulder. “I was thinking about doing a get-together tonight in the lounge. There’s an alcohol shipment today,” she hummed, “you in?”</p><p>While Sakura could not in good faith recommend Mira drink after this mission, there was no stopping this girl. “Yeah, sounds good.”</p><p>These things were always so awkward for Sakura before, but maybe it was because she was hyper-focusing on Kakashi. Moving away from him had been good for many reasons, but she still missed him a lot lately, especially, she wasn’t sure why, though. But she would have two more months before going home. </p><p>“Tell us some war stories, doc!” One of the agents shouted from the gathering. </p><p>Suddenly all eyes turned to Sakura. She hadn’t said much about herself since she had gotten here, mostly because she assumed most people knew everything they needed to know. She was a medic, very qualified, and fought in the war. “Yeah,” Mato joined in, “have you actually seen a Rinnegan?” </p><p>Everyone, including Mira, looked a little too eager. Something told her many of them had been curious about this for a while. “Yeah, my husband actually had one in his left eye.” Then all the faces turned to confusion. </p><p>“You’re married?” Mira broke the silence. </p><p>She was so used to everyone she interacted with being at her wedding that she forgot what a small affair it was. “He died a long time ago. We were only married for about a year before he passed.” The whole room was silent. No one knew what to say next.</p><p>“Wait….” Mira’s eyes narrowed, “Does that mean your husband was Sasuke Uchiha?”</p><p>“Whose that?” Mato looked confused. </p><p>Bless the boy’s heart, despite his stature. He was only twenty, making him seven during the war. He wasn’t even the youngest in the room. Maybe she was old. But there were a few wide eyes who knew what the name Uchiha meant, “Yeah. It was a small private event. We didn’t publicize it since he was seen as a terrorist to a lot of people.”</p><p>“I’m sorry, what? Can you start from the beginning?” Mato now wished he had paid more attention to his history lessons. </p><p>There were several agreements in Sakura’s now captive audience, so she pulled a chair over and sat down, “Alright, but no interruptions, alright?” Everyone nodded. </p><p>So Sakura began with team seven forming. She watched Mira’s expression as she revealed the sixth was also her jonin instructor, a little-known fact to the rest of the village. Then she talked about her chunin exams, Sasuke leaving, her training as a medical ninja. Then Naruto coming back, them saving the Kazekage, Pain attacking the village, the Kaze summit, and the war. However, she left out the still very confidential village secrets, of course. Then came her marriage, Sasuke’s death, and her eventual miscarriage. That was as far as she made it through. Not a single eye was dry at that point. Maybe because she was surrounded by people who went through everything with her, but she had forgotten that her life was exciting, not always good but certainly exciting. </p><p>Finally, another agent, Toji, raised his hand. Like a teacher to her students, Sakura called on him, “So what are the Hokages like in person?”</p><p>“Well, let’s see, Tsunade is tougher than she looks, but also incredibly caring, hardworking, and one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. She can be a bit of a drunk and is a terrible gambler, but she’s a good time, or at least I think so,” she smiled, thinking back on some wild times she had with her mentor. “Okay, then there’s Naruto,” she was going out of order, but she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say about Kakashi just yet. “Naruto is loud and obnoxious, but he is incredibly loyal, and when he cares about someone, he cares hard. When we were kids would always get in trouble, do things like drink spoiled milk and ditch training if it was anyone but Kakashi.” She still felt bad for Ebisu. </p><p>“What about Lord Six?” Mato interrupted. </p><p>She knew they were the most excited about him since they all knew he was back in ANBU and might work with him someday. “What about him…” she paused, “Ka- Lord Sixth is one of the greatest men I’ve ever met. He’s been through a lot, more than the average person, but he’s never done anything but serve the people of the Leaf.” Everyone noticed the look on her face was different from when she spoke about Tsunade and Naruto. “If you ever meet him, you’ll be lucky. He’s great to work with and will teach you a lot.” Sakura trailed off into a smile, thinking about him. Then she stood up, realizing she was a little drunker than she thought, “I’m going to bed. You all should too.” </p><p>The group watched her leave, all looking at each other until she was out of earshot. “So uh,” Toji broke the silence, “She and the Sixth Hokage, they’re together right? Or am I the only one who got that vibe?”</p><p>“No, no, I got it too,” Mato, along with a few other agents, looked to Mira as they knew the two were close, “Mira?”</p><p>Not wanting to sell her friend out, Mira just stood up, “Good night!” And quickly, she walked away, but she was good at lying and manipulating. Her obviously suspicious behavior was all the confirmation everyone needed. </p><p>~~</p><p>“Mom!” Mira shouted, walking into Sakura’s office, “message from HQ!” She handed Sakura the letter. </p><p>Sakura took it, “please keep your voice down. I have patients in the next room.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry,” she looked at the letter in Sakura’s hands eagerly. </p><p>The girl was information obsessed which made her very nosy. Sakura just rolled her eyes. For all her quirks, she would miss Mira. She was going home in less than a month. But the silver lining was that she would see Kakashi soon, although she still didn’t know where her feelings stood with him. As much as she missed him, she didn’t know what she would say to him when they finally saw each other. </p><p>Putting that to the back of her mind, she opened the letter. It was from Ibikki. </p><p>Mira saw her jaw clench up before she crumpled the note up. She seemed upset. No upset wasn’t right; she looked annoyed. “What did it say?” </p><p>Sakura ran her fingers through her hair, she wasn’t sure why reading this was making her mad, but it was, “I’m going to kill Ibikki.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sakura is the embodiment of mom friend energy, I feel like she's starting to mellow out, Kakashi is barely going to recognize her haha</p><p>Hope you guys enjoyed and everyone stay safe and healthy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Chapter 26</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Three talented but rowdy ninjas under him, he thought he was done with this. And to top it off, they were triplets. But they were fully grown, and ANBU at that, surely it wouldn’t be the same as his original team. Kakashi didn’t bother with the bell test, they would probably pass, and he didn’t feel like trying. He didn’t feel like doing anything. Sakura left a week ago, and he felt depressed, not as bad as in the past, but depressed nonetheless. </p><p>“Hey, I’m your captain, my codename is Bito, but I insist you just call me captain,” Kakashi waved to his new team, forcing an ounce of interest. Luckily his team’s names were easy to remember, Ichi, Ni, and San. They weren’t too creative with their code names. “Our first mission is in the morning. We’ll meet at the gates, meeting adjourned,” Kakashi tried to walk away, best not to get too personal with his team this time. </p><p>But the brothers had different plans, they were young and strong, and between the three of them, they were able to pick Kakashi up, “Come on, captain! Let’s get a drink!” Ni shouted into his ear. </p><p>“Yeah, we gotta get to know you. How else will we trust you?” San added. </p><p>Agents these days were much more rambunctious than when he was their age. Although that was probably due to the prolonged peace, they were less traumatized than ninjas from his or even Sakura’s generation. Which did make Kakashi happy, “Fine,” he relented.</p><p>As expected, the brothers were quite competitive, although they had nothing on Sasuke and Naruto. Although Ichi and San were particularly bad, Ni could get just as bad, but usually, he played peacekeeper. It was annoying but also pleasantly familiar. After competing for who could down their beer the fastest, they turned their attention back to Kakashi, “So captain, full disclosure,” Ni looked to him, “We know you’re the sixth Hokage.”</p><p>Everyone did. It was the ANBU worst kept secret, “whatever are you talking about?” Kakashi took a sip through his mask.</p><p>San elbowed his brother, “Idiot. What he meant was we heard you might have some cool stories, mind sharing some? You’re kind of a legend.”</p><p>This again, he had grown bored of all the mission stories that people would request from him. But not wanting to disappoint, he thought of something more interesting. “Alright, for the past year, I’ve been partnered with an agent who goes by Aki. We had an undercover mission. There was a rouge nin from another country hiding in the Land of Fire, leaving a trail of dead sex workers. Aki went undercover. I was her handler and watched from above as she lured him in.”</p><p>“Aww, were you not his type captain?” Ichi chimed in. </p><p>Kakashi just glared, “Anyways, she got all dressed up. She looked beautiful.” The brothers couldn’t help but notice how soft his voice became when he said that, “a pin in her hair was covered in poison, and there were knives hidden in her dress. The guy had issues. My partner looked like this girl from his village who left him and got pregnant with another man’s child, so he killed her. Aki triggered him, and he was brutal, smashing her head against the wall and was about to stick a kunai in her….  I mean in a place where a woman wouldn’t want to be stabbed.”</p><p>“Seriously?” Ichi had a look of disgust on his face, one that his brothers shared, “that’s so….”</p><p>“Yeah, I know,” Kakashi sighed, but there was a small smirk he was hiding, excited to tell him what she did in retaliation. “So my partner fed into his delusion or ego, got him to kiss her, and when he did, she bit off his tongue.”</p><p>“Oh god!” Ni was the first to react, his body cringing. </p><p>“Ew,” San added, he might never be able to kiss a girl again. </p><p>“This was a really gross story captain,” Ichi was thoroughly afraid of this woman. </p><p>Kakashi just chuckled, “Yeah, but it’s a good one. From there, I incapacitated him, he went to prison, and I had to take care of her for two weeks while she recovered from a pretty severe concussion.”</p><p>“Does that mean you’ll take care of us if we get a concussion?” San teased. </p><p>“Nah, we’re not a pretty girl,” Ichi joined in.</p><p>Maybe telling them a Sakura story was a bad idea, “that’s right.” Kakashi finished his drink, “I’m going home, but I’ll see you tomorrow.”</p><p>~~</p><p>Three months into being these boy's captain, Kakashi was exhausted. They were good, but their teamwork needed work despite being family, or maybe because they were. But Kakashi understood why Ibikki kept them as a team. When they could get their act together and not compete for dominance, they were so good Kakashi could just sit back and watch, which he enjoyed. They just needed to learn how to either let one of them lead or be complete equals, and they were getting there with the latter. </p><p>On their journey home after a mission, they decided to go slowly as they were all a little injured, except Kakashi. He was fine. But as they sat down to rest for the night, Kakashi decided to treat them by catching some fish nearby. They did good on this mission. </p><p>“Here, eat up, sleep for six hours, then we’re leaving, got it?” Kakashi was maybe nicer than an ANBU captain should be, but he had less than a year left in him, so he didn’t care. Once he was back with Sakura, he would have to break it to her. She was going to be mad, but then again, he thought she would be mad when he told her he loved her, and he was pleasantly surprised there.</p><p>“Hey captain, I’ve got a question,” Ni had been particularly quiet on the journey home. Kakashi had noticed it looked like he was in deep thought, “but you don’t have to answer.”</p><p>This might be interesting; Ni was typically the most thoughtful of the brothers, “Okay, well, what is it?”</p><p>The boy looked nervous to proceed at first but finally spit it out, “You and Aki, were you two together? Like together together?”</p><p>Although they vaguely knew who she was, legendary medic and war hero Sakura Haruno, her being in ANBU was ANBU’s second-worst kept secret, Was in some way a mythological creature to the boys. Kakashi had gone through all his ANBU stories with her and even a couple of ones from the war. He might have to go further back to Team 7 stories at this rate every time he tried to tell them a story without her. They looked bored. “Well, what do you think?”</p><p>“We’ve been betting on it since we met you, cap,” San said with his mouth full, “Why’d you ask though, Ni? It’s pretty fucking obvious.”</p><p>“Well, I was just clarifying before I asked my real question, why aren’t you guys still partnered up? Did she break up with you or something?” Ni asked, his brothers looking towards Kakashi, intrigued. </p><p>His friends had been bugging him with more or less this same question, and he had avoided answering as much as possible, but he was almost fifty, and this back and forth he had about his love life was getting exhausting. “Sakura and I,” it felt right to use her name, and the boys didn’t seem surprised at her name, “have a very complicated relationship. We go way back and have been through a lot together. Pain’s attack on the village, the war, the death of her husband, her miscarriage.” He probably shouldn’t have told them about those last two. Actually, he shouldn’t be saying any of this, but he just couldn’t be bothered to care anymore. </p><p>“Oh shit,” Ni now felt bad asking.</p><p>“If you ever meet her, do not tell her I told you that,” Kakashi's voice was stern. The three just nodded as he continued, “She didn’t dump me. Ibikki separated us because she was needed up North, and you three needed a captain. That’s all. Now I think that’s enough storytime. Go to bed. I want to be home by tomorrow.” Almost like children, his subordinates did as they were told. They were pretty exhausted, though, so it was understandable. </p><p>Kakashi sat and stood watch, he was good at staying up for over 48 hours straight, and he wasn’t hurt or tired, to begin with, so he didn’t mind, although Sakura would probably scold her if she knew what he was doing. Pulling a book out of his back pocket Kakashi sat against a tree and started to read. Every so often, though, he would look up at the sky. He missed looking up at it with Sakura, and talking about her like he just did was making it worse. </p><p>~~</p><p>Taking on three boys in their twenties at once was not terribly pleasant, even if it was just training. They were good and strong. Also, they cared a lot more about winning than he did. But still, Kakashi had a reputation to protect however their teamwork had become much better in the time they had all been together, mostly because Kakashi could crack the whip when need be. </p><p>“Alright, let’s call it for today. I’m an old man,” Kakashi lifted his shirt to wipe his face, exposing his still impressively chiseled body.</p><p>“A ripped old man,” Ichi muttered. </p><p>“Don’t you forget it,” Kakashi pointed, “Alright, we have another mission in a couple of days; Ibikki is assigning us a medic. This will be her first ANBU mission; she’s good but new, so be nice and don’t cause more work for her.”</p><p>“Is she hot?” San asked, only half-joking. </p><p>Kakashi, not one to put up with his male subordinates making his female agents uncomfortable, drew a shuriken and threw it past San. It grazed his hair just enough to cut a few strands out before hitting a tree. San didn’t even realize what happened until he saw the knife stuck deep into the tree. “I don’t know, but if I see any of you harass her, I’ll make the last two months I have with you a living hell, understood?” </p><p>“Yes, captain!” All three of them straightened their back and looked at Kakashi wide-eyed. </p><p>The next day they met outside the village. Their medic got to the meeting spot early, “Hello, I’m Machi, I will be your medic for this mission, nice to meet you,” she bowed her head, only at Kakashi. </p><p>She was professional. It would do this group good. The brothers were overly familiar with each other, and Kakashi had been comically unprofessional this entire tenure of ANBU; if Ibikki knew, they’d all be fired. Machi would force them to clean up their act a bit. “Nice to meet you, I’m captain Bito, and this is Ichi, Ni, and San.”</p><p>Raising an eyebrow at the triplets, Machi looked back to Kakashi, unimpressed with the uncreative names, “Right… well,” she put her mask on, “are we ready to leave?”</p><p>“Yeah, let’s go, team,” Kakashi followed, and the group headed out. It wasn’t a difficult mission, probably because Ibikki was testing out the waters for Machi, but she did good. Sakura would like her. She was focused, intelligent, and very good at her jobs, very by the books, which was for the best at her age. He was also sure that all the brothers were in love with the girl by the end, but being in life or death situations with people could stir some feelings. And with the boys being related and them all being painfully straight, it wasn’t something any of them had experienced before. But unfortunately for them, Machi seemed very disinterested on the way home. </p><p>Upon returning home, Machi tried to depart without even a word, “Machi, wait,” Kakashi stopped her, “you just finished your first mission. It’s a tradition of mine that I buy my agents a drink after. No pressure but would you like to join me and the guys at a bar?” The girl just narrowed her eyes towards the boys. Kakashi could guess why. “If these guys start to annoy you, I’ll kick them out.”</p><p>“Fine,” she said quietly, “I’d like to shower first though, could I meet you there?”</p><p>Kakashi was glad she accepted, she didn’t seem like the social type, and while ANBU seemed all serious on the outside, it was important to create bonds with other members. “Sure, why don’t we all clean up and meet at the bar by HQ at 8, sound good?”</p><p>They all agreed and went their separate ways. At home, Kakashi collapsed on the bed. He didn’t need to shower; he barely broke a sweat and would shower before going to sleep. For the next couple of hours, he would just enjoy the alone time. He didn’t really want to go out. If they didn’t have a new agent with them, he wouldn’t, but tradition was tradition. So he stared at the ceiling until it was time to leave and thought about the thing that occupied his thoughts the most, Sakura, of course. He felt like a pathetic teenager letting the thoughts of some girl get to him like this, but then again, it wasn’t just some girl. It was her. </p><p>Groaning as he realized he should probably leave, only exchanging his ANBU vest for a sweater. On the walk over, he wondered if Sakura was having a good time, if she was getting along with her fellow agents if she was taking care of herself. Hopefully, she wasn’t up to her bratty antics. </p><p>“Hey Cap,” San broke him out of his trance. </p><p>When did he get to the bar? “Uh, hey guys,” He walked into the bar. Machi was already sitting in a booth quietly. But she stood up to greet them. The four guys were surprised at her appearance outside of ANBU gear. She was wearing a cute short dress, her hair was let down from a tight braid, and she was wearing make-up. It was different but good. Kakashi swore he saw the brother’s jaw dropped. He would have to beat them off her with a stick. Maybe he shouldn’t have let them go home to change. “You look nice tonight Machi, is a beer okay?” Machi nodded, “Ichi, go grab Machi and I a beer,” Kakashi handed him money. </p><p>Ichi just grumbled, walking over to the bar. Kakashi didn’t want to leave the poor girl alone with them. He trusted them to be appropriate but not to not be annoying, and he was trying to encourage her to come out of her shell. A couple of drinks in, though, and she started to loosen up a bit. They all did. Ichi and San went to compete at darts while the other three talked about how the mission went. </p><p>“Thanks for patching me up back there. I don’t think it’s even going to scar,” Ni looked enamored, more so than his brother’s.</p><p>“Well, it’s my job, but I’m glad everything went smoothly. If I’m being honest, I was a bit nervous, so thank you for a good first mission,” she bowed her head. </p><p>Kakashi just chuckled, “That’s what being a team is all about. Let’s all stop thanking each other, so Machi, what made you decide to be a medic?”</p><p>The two noticed her smiled faded, “I wanted to save people. My parents died during the war, I was just a kid, waiting for them to come back to the village, but they never did. So I guess…” she paused, “Sorry, you don’t want to hear that.”</p><p>Ni wasn’t sure what to say to that, “My parents died too, it’s tough, but they’d be proud of the ninja you’ve become,” Kakashi tried to smile wide enough that she could see it through his mask. “You’re very talented. I have a friend. Actually, she’s away from the village at the moment, but when she gets back, I’d like to introduce you to her. I think you’d be able to learn a lot from her.”</p><p>“Really?” Machi was young and eager to learn, so she jumped on the opportunity, “That would be great. Is it your girlfriend?”</p><p>Ni grinned, wondering how his captain would answer, “No, not my girlfriend,” he was too tired to get into it, “just a close friend. I’m going to go to the bathroom,” he stood up, “I’ll be back.” Walking out of the restroom into the little hallway, he immediately came face to face with Machi, “Hey…” she looked oddly intense. But then she felt her hand on his chest. Shit, he thought. “Machi, what are you doing?” </p><p>She took a step closer, now only inches away from his face, “I think you also look nice tonight, captain.”</p><p>It had been a while since a pretty girl called him captain like that, but she wasn’t Sakura, so it didn’t quite do it for him. Grabbing the girl’s hand, he lowered it and let go, “Uh Machi, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea, but-” he noticed the look of horror on her face when he didn’t reciprocate. What would Sakura tell him to do? “Hey, look, I’m sorry, you’re a prett-” that was maybe not the most appropriate way to resolve this. “Machi,” he grabbed her upper arms and guided her further away from him, “I’m sorry, but whatever feelings you have, I can’t reciprocate.”</p><p>She pulled herself together. Kakashi was guessing the alcohol was maybe betraying her a bit, “I’m not looking for a relationship captain, just a fun night.”</p><p>Kakashi dropped his head. This was maybe worse. “Even so, I’m not interested. It has nothing to do with you, though. I’m sure any other guy in this bar would be, though.”</p><p>“Am I not pretty enough?” her eyes widened. </p><p>He just groaned, “Look, it’s not that. This has nothing to do with you. It’s me. There’s someone who I love, and I really only have eyes for her. Please understand.”</p><p>“Oh,” she stepped out of his grip, “I’m sorry,” she started to panic, “I’m not usually like this.”</p><p>Kakashi was pretty sure she was telling the truth. The past few days were probably a lot for her, and the alcohol wasn’t helping, “Hey, no worries, I’m flattered really that a young girl finds this grandpa attractive,” he tried to lighten the mood. “Come on, let’s go back and enjoy the rest of the night.”</p><p>“You’re not mad?” She still sounded worried. </p><p>While she was pretty, Kakashi still wouldn’t sleep with her. Even if Sakura wasn’t in the picture, she looked like a kid, especially now. “No, of course not. Please don’t worry about it. Trust me. I get the adrenaline rush after a mission. It puts you in a different state of mind. You should have seen me when I was your age. After a successful mission, I’d sleep with just about anyone.”</p><p>“Wish I could have,” she muttered before walking ahead of him. The comment stopped Kakashi in his tracts; the girl was certainly full of surprises. Sakura would probably like her. But this whole interaction drove the point home for Kakashi- he was too old for this job. </p><p>~~</p><p>Ibikki threw a folder at Kakashi, “Never say I didn’t do anything for you.”</p><p>Skeptical Kakashi opened it and saw his next mission. To escort the brothers and Machi to a base up North and assist in a mission while he was there. The base's head medic was one Sakura Haruno. Looks like he would get to see her a little early.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope the main take away of this chapter came across which was this man is fucking tired XD But yeah reunion next chapter! Also, we are all Machi (can you tell I've been rewatching fruits basket). I'll be honest I think this story is in it's last 10 chapters, I like to give myself wiggle room so I won't be exact but 10 or less seems right! </p><p>If it was a little confusing why Sakura was upset at the end of last chapter I'll address it at the beginning of next chapter but basically, Sakura is a control freak and likes things to go how she planned on them going XD </p><p>Alrighty thanks for reading and stay safe everyone!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. Chapter 27</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sakura had carefully laid out a plan for when she got back to Konoha. Meet up with Kakashi, stay in a house with him, and only him, talk through what she had been feeling the past six months, and go from there. Their home was safe, quiet, and empty, plus they’d probably have at least a week off so they could just focus on each other. Then Ibikki threw that out the window, and now they’d be running a mission in a crowded base with busy schedules. Sakura wasn’t sure how this was going to go. </p><p>To make things worse, no one knew when they would show up. They just knew sometime this week. Luckily Mira kept her mouth shut about who was coming. Everyone just knew a new captain, and some agents were arriving. It had put Sakura on edge the past couple of days, knowing any second she could see him, another reason to kill Ibikki later. </p><p>~~</p><p>Kakashi walked at the end of the group as they approached the door. It was the dead of night; most agents would be asleep, including the head medic he was guessing. Ichi got them checked in and verified by the night guard, and they walked in. </p><p>“Hello, I’m Mato. I’m here to take you to your rooms,” Mira woke him up to deal with greeting them, he really didn’t want to, but he didn’t like being on her bad side. </p><p>“Hey, is Agent Aki here?” San was quick, and Kakashi rolled his eyes. </p><p>Mato stopped, “She’s probably asleep. There’s another medic staffed right now if you need to see him. But I can wake mom up if you need me to….” </p><p>All five of them were surprised by the name but none more than Kakashi, “Mom?” </p><p>“Yeah, sorry, it’s what we call her. Honestly, I think some agents only know her as that,” Mato looked at Kakashi, realizing the mask, hair, and scar, “Oh shit! You’re…”</p><p>“Captain Bito,” Kakashi assured, he got this a lot. From new agents especially, but this base was elite, he thought they’d be a bit more professional. </p><p>But Mato didn’t care that he was the Sixth. It was now making sense why Mira cleared out the room next to Sakura’s. “Yes, my apologies, captain. The new agent cabins are down the hall,” Mato escorted them to two large rooms filled with bunk beds, one more male and one for female agents. “Now, sir, might I escort you to the captain's quarters?”</p><p>Kakashi nodded, following the guy. He couldn’t help but notice he was Sakura’s type. He hated that he knew that. “So, mom, huh? Interesting nickname for your medic.” </p><p>“Yeah, well, if you met her, you’d get it,” Mato tried to hide his grin, “She’s the closest thing to a mom you’ll find out here. Strict and pushy will scold you for hours if you’re being stupid, but she can also be warm and comforting. A couple of months back, I broke my leg, and she was so worried about how my PT was going. I think she checked in with me every day. She does that with everyone, though; the woman barely eats or sleeps, I swear. Plus, I heard she talks to some of the newer agents who are having a hard time adjusting and even helped Hana with her genjutsu. Like I said, she’s basically a mom.” </p><p>They finally got to Kakashi’s room, and Mato opened the door, leaving Kakashi to his devices. As he sat on the bed, he stared at the wall. What the guy had described didn’t sound like the Sakura he knew. It sounded like the Sakura from a long time ago. He was also surprised she was okay with a nickname like that. But he would figure it all out tomorrow. Right now, he was exhausted. </p><p>~~</p><p>The next morning Sakura woke up, threw on a sweater and some leggings, and went to grab breakfast before getting a head start on updating her charts. She was still groggy and desperately needed coffee, but when she opened the door, she swore she was still dreaming, “Kakashi?”</p><p>“Sakura…” Kakashi had left his room at the same time, he had known there was a possibility he would see her at breakfast, but he never suspected her room would be next to his. </p><p>They stood quietly, neither of them sure of what to do until Sakura broke the tension, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her head against his chest, “I missed you,” she whispered. </p><p>This wasn’t the reunion he was expecting. It was better. “Hey,” he cradled her head, “I missed you too.”</p><p>Pulling out of the hug, Sakura lifted herself and kissed him, “come on,” she took his hand, pulling him into her room. </p><p>“Sakura,” he held her waist, “If we do this now, I think we’ll be forfeiting our breakfast.”</p><p>Sakura rolled her eyes and swatted his hands, “Stop it, I have too much to do this morning. I just-” she paused, “I just wanted a second alone. It’s been a while.”</p><p>“Has been,” he moved his hands up to her cheek. He couldn’t keep his hands off her; it almost didn’t feel real being near her. “So wanna tell me why the agents here call you mom?” </p><p>It was cute how red her face got, “You know about that?” Kakashi smiled and nodded, “Right uh, well, I don’t really remember where it came from. I think everyone just misses their family back home.”</p><p>“That’s not what I heard,” he hummed, “I heard it was because you’re kind and caring,” he brushed her hair behind her ear. “That you make sure everyone is taken care of, you’re always willing to help someone.” Without changing his tone, “Who are you, and what have you done with Sakura?”</p><p>Sakura scoffed, “Nothing. I think they also just call me that because I won’t sleep with anyone,” she broke away from his grip. Hoping that he caught the hint. </p><p>Of course, he did. It was a huge relief to know she hadn’t slept with anyone. He wouldn’t have been mad or held it against her, but he’d be lying if he said it wouldn’t have bothered him. “Is that so?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she had actually grown quite fond of the name, it made her feel needed, and she did care deeply for all the agents here. “But enough about me, how was that team you trained.”</p><p>Where to begin. Kakashi rubbed the bridge of his nose, “There uh... They’re great, they really are, but I’ve spent the past five months constantly surrounded by an eighteen and three twenty-year-olds. I thought you made me feel old….”</p><p>Sakura could relate, “Captain Mira, I don’t know if you’ve met her yet, but she says everyone calls me mom because I’m old.”</p><p>“Welcome to the club,” he went back to her, wrapping his arms around her neck, “So should I call you mom too, or is that too weird?”</p><p>Someone was clingy this morning, “Call me mom, and I’m never sleeping with you again,” she said with a straight face. </p><p>“Hey,” he smirked, nustling his nose into her neck, “speaking of which, call me captain.” He was maybe having a little too much fun, but after months of playing babysitter, he felt like he deserved it. </p><p>Was Kakashi always this affectionate? “Captain,” she decided to play along, “we’re going to be late to breakfast. Let’s go.”</p><p>“I’ll sneak us something from the kitchen later now come on,” he moved his hands down to her waist and back up her shirt. But once he hit her ribs, he stopped abruptly, “Have you been eating right?” She had always been this way. Ever since she was a teenager, she’d get obsessed with work and skip meals. It drove him crazy. </p><p>Probably not as right as he would like. She had gotten too used to Kakashi bringing her food throughout the day. “Come on. I’m fine, Kakashi. I’ll eat better, I promise,” she smiled back at him, trying to ease his worrying. </p><p>“Fine,” he still didn’t sound completely sold, “you better. How are you supposed to kick my ass without muscle on you?”</p><p>“Oh, I could still kick your ass, Hatake,” Sakura pressed her finger against his chest, “anytime anywhere.”</p><p>And he wouldn’t even put up a fight. Touching her face one more time, just to make sure she was really there, he kissed her forehead. “I love you, Sakura,” he whispered. It felt good to tell her again. But he got nervous when she didn’t respond, “Hey, sorry you don’t-”</p><p>“Stop,” she cut him off, “it’s okay, Kakashi.”</p><p>“Really?” He couldn’t help but notice she was looking down at the floor, but there was a hint of a smile on her face. </p><p>It felt right to say it. It was only three words, and once it was over, it was over. They could move on, “Yeah, really… Kakashi I…”</p><p>“Mooooommmmm!” There was a loud banging on her door. It was unmistakably Mira. </p><p>Her feelings flustered, Sakura quickly retreated, opening the door and dismissing her friend. “Come on. We should really go to the mess hall,” Sakura felt her heartbeat faster, and her palms get sweaty. Was she about to say ‘I love you’ to him?</p><p>Sakura looked like she had seen a ghost; it was actually quite adorable. But he wouldn’t rush her. If old age had taught him anything, it was the art of patience. So the two walked to breakfast. Sakura thought it was awkward, but Kakashi was pleased with himself. The girl of his dreams almost said she loved him; as far as he was concerned, today was a great day. </p><p>All eyes were on them, and they all had a somewhat obnoxious grin. But before Sakura could even get in line, three agents who all looked alike brought her a tray. They must be the brothers Kakashi had been training. She had brushed up on their files before they got here. “Hello, Agent Aki, it’s nice to meet you,” The middle brother handed her her breakfast.</p><p>Kakashi groaned. Of course, they didn’t bring him anything, “Boys, let the woman eat. It’s too early for this.”</p><p>“It’s alright, nice to meet you three,” Sakura was of course kind and courteous, as a senior officer should be, “I hope I’ll get to see more of you before I leave, but if you’ll excuse me, I have to talk with captain Mira.” Sakura took the tray from the boy’s hands and walked past them to the table. </p><p>“Captain, she’s way hotter in person,” Ichi was enamored. </p><p>“Uh-huh,” It was too early for all this, “Don’t bother her, you three. We have to be professional now. Now sit down and eat. Training starts in an hour.” Kakashi got in line, but the whole time he couldn’t help but stare at Sakura, sitting with her friend, laughing and smiling. Finally, she was showing the world the woman he knew. </p><p>~~</p><p> </p><p>“So did I cockblock you this morning?” Mira chuckled, “I just wanted to give you a heads up that he made it in last night, didn’t know you already figured it out.”</p><p>“No, we were just catching up a bit. I’m guessing it was your doing that he ended up next door to me,” Although she wasn’t complaining, she’d had been fantasizing all week about sneaking into his room once he got here, and Mira had just made it very convincing. </p><p>“Thank me later, but he is cute up close. Scratch that he’s hot, you guys looking for a third?” She knew what the answer would be, but she was not joking. </p><p>Sakura couldn’t help but laugh, “Been a while since you made a pass on me, Mira. But no, we aren’t, but if we ever are, you’ll be the first person I call.”</p><p>Mira couldn’t help but notice she looked a little happier than normal, her expressions were brighter, but she caught the way Kakashi was staring at her from the line. They were hopelessly in love. It would be annoying if they weren’t so damn cute. </p><p>“Mind if I sit with you two?” Kakashi came up and joined them. </p><p>They might not want a third, but Mira wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to flirt with the Sixth Hokage. She had a huge crush on him as a teenager. “Of course, you can do anything you want with us. Ouch!” She felt Sakura stomp on her foot.</p><p>Someday she was going to have to put a puzzle on this girl, “Sit at your own risk,” Sakura sighed. </p><p>A short, sexually aggressive elite ninja. Made sense that she and Sakura were friends, although it seemed like putting up with that the past six months had mellowed her out. “I’ve been in more dangerous situations,” Mira was still eying him, “I think.” But still, he sat across from Sakura. It still didn’t feel real.</p><p>As fun as it was harassing her friend, Mira had to get the morning training ready, “You’ll be safe in the good doctor’s hands,” she stood up, “I gotta go, but you two crazy kids have a good breakfast.”</p><p>“Yeah, see ya,” Sakura’s voice was soft. She was starting to panic being alone with Kakashi again. The I love you thing felt like a shadow looming over her. It was putting knots in her stomach. </p><p>It was quite fun watching her squirm, and she made cute faces. “Sakura,” he hummed, “relax. You don’t have to say it. It’s okay.”</p><p>“Say what?” Always on the defensive. </p><p>There she was, his stubborn Sakura, “I love you,” he teased.</p><p>Unimpressed, Sakura glared, “Shut up. I know I don’t have to say it.”</p><p>“Do you now?” Just like old times, although usually by now, she had stormed off. </p><p>“I like you a lot, okay? That’s all you’re getting from me,” she grumbled, “I forgot what an ass you could be.”</p><p>He leaned his elbow onto the table, lazily smiling back at her. She was so beautiful. She was like a light at the end of a tunnel, “Yeah, I know, but it’s only because I love you so much.” </p><p>“What happened to the guy who said he’d never fall in love,” Sakura also wondered what happened to the girl who said something along those lines. </p><p>“He stopped being stupid and accepted the inevitable,” Kakashi leaned in and whispered, “best decision I ever made.”</p><p>The inevitable, huh? “Grab your breakfast and follow me,” Sakura stood up, picking up her apple. Kakashi, ever so obedient, followed with a granola bar, and the two went down the hall to the med bay. All eyes in the mess hall following them, watching them was better than TV.</p><p>“So, what’s up?” He couldn’t help but notice she locked the door behind them. </p><p> Sakura bit her bottom lip, working up the courage to say what she wanted to say, “Kakashi Hatake I,” she pulled down his mask, “I love you.” Not wanting to hear some smug response, she grabbed his shirt, pulled him close, and kissed him. </p><p>Kakashi was stunned by both the confession and that she practically tackled him, but he was used to the unexpected. For the first time, his life was perfect. He had a girl he loved, who loved him back, and she was in his arms. That’s all he needed. </p><p>Saying those words to someone who wasn’t Sasuke still felt weird, and she still wasn’t sure what saying ‘I love you’ to Kakashi meant for their relationship, but it felt good to finally accept it. The inevitable.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>You ever have one of those weeks where you need to write a whole chapter of cute fluff? Yeah... but I'm not complaining! I'll try and be consist and upload next Monday but I have a ton of midterms due next week so we'll see haha</p><p>But yes! It finally happened these two idiots are in fucking love it only took 27 chapters. I love them &lt;3 they really have big dumbass energy in this story and I'm living for it. </p><p>Thanks for reading and stay safe!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Leave a review and tell me what you think! </p><p>Also I made a playlist for this story that I listened to for different parts and characters so if you guys are interested in knowing what the playlist is let me know ;)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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